Blurred Lines
by my shangri-la
Summary: The Team is in trouble again; this time they're in Mexico. When a friend from the past is called to help, their pasts blend with the present until no one knows what the future will hold. This story is A/U.
1. Chapter 1

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 1**_

Alyssa Connelly was at her best friend Kayla Lancaster's house, rehashing another date that had gone badly over coffee, when her cell phone rang from its position on the counter next to her elbow. It had initially startled her, but she froze for a moment when she recognized the ringtone, her green eyes widening. That particular song hadn't crossed her phone in over six months. She ignored her friend's concerned voice asking what was wrong and flipped her phone open quickly, not wanting it to go to voicemail. It would be important.

"Hello?" she questioned into the phone.

A soft, distraught voice came from the other end of the line, "Ali, we need your help."

Her eyes widened, "Mia, what happened?" she asked seriously. She stood from the bar stool and crossed back into her friend's living room for a semblance of privacy – and an attempt to stop her rising panic.

"Dom's in trouble", she said quickly, "Everything is screwed up. You need to come down here."

There would be no questions. Questions could wait until later; she would go because she was asked, despite the consequences. Well, one question _had_ to be asked, "Where the hell am I going?" she asked immediately.

She heard a sigh, "We're in Mexico", Mia answered.

Alyssa's eyebrows furrowed contemplatively, "Exactly how _much_ trouble are you guys in?" It had been less than sixty seconds, but she already wanted to pull her hair out. "I mean, I would assume it's pretty bad, considering you are, in fact, calling _me-_"

Mia interrupted her guiltily, "He didn't want me to call you. He nearly bit my head off when I suggested it two weeks ago", she admitted. She didn't have to specify who. "But things have gotten worse, and Brian got the rest of the guys to get him out of here for a while so we could try to get ahold of you."

"_Mia"_, she whined, "He's gonna be pissed." She ran a hand through her now chocolate brown hair.

"Yeah, well, you know better than anyone that my brother can be an idiot sometimes. Even Letty wanted him to get you to come down here", Mia continued.

Alyssa snickered, smiling lightly, "Oh, I remember. But stop", she said calmly, "you don't need to convince me."

"You'll come then?" Mia asked hopefully.

"I'll come", she answered seriously. "I want everything explained to me when I get there, but for now, you asked, and that's enough."

"Thank you", her friend said gratefully.

"I just have one question", Alyssa finished. "What's the closest airport for me to land at?"

"We are currently in La Nanchita", Mia explained, "So I think if you land in Culiacan International, it should be fine. I think its roughly eleven or twelve kilometers away."

"Alright", Alyssa agreed, still skeptical about the situation, "I'll need someone to pick me up", she said finally. "I'd rent a car, but I don't really feel like getting lost in Mexico tonight", she laughed lightly.

"You're going to come tonight?" Mia asked surprised. "It can wait until morning, at least."

"No need to sound so excited", Alyssa joked. "But, really, I'd rather have less time to talk myself out of it."

Mia sighed, "I understand. I'll have Brian pick you up", she said.

"Thanks, hun", she said. "Let me see what I can do about a ticket; San Francisco International might not even have a flight going there tonight. I'll call you right back." She hung up and turned to ask her friend for the airport phone number, only to find Kayla standing no more than a few feet away from her. "Geez, Kay, you nearly gave me a heart attack", she complained.

Kayla raised a pointed eyebrow at her, "Who the hell was that? And what was that about _Mexico_?"

"An old friend", Alyssa said warily. "She needs my help. Can you get the number for the airport for me, please?" she asked, changing the subject.

Kayla nodded reluctantly, her chin length blonde hair bobbing with the movement, "I will, but after you figure your shit out, I _will_ expect an explanation." She walked out of the room muttering in an undertone that she knew Alyssa could hear, "_Always with the drama._"

"That's a huge exaggeration", Alyssa called down the hall. She just heard her friend's tinkling laugh.

Fifteen minutes later, Alyssa had a seat on a straight flight to Culiacan. And thanks to her boss Erin, who was also a personal friend, she had an indefinite amount of time off from her work at The Ivy Luxury San Diego Hotel.

She sat on the couch next to her friend, "Can you take me to the airport tonight?" she asked.

Kayla rolled her bright blue eyes at her, "What else do I have to do tonight, moron?" she teased. "I'll even go back to your apartment with you and help you pack."

"You're the best, you know that?" Alyssa said bumping her friend with her shoulder.

"Oh, I know", Kayla laughed.

Alyssa fake-scowled, "Just for that, I _won't_ let you keep my car while I'm gone", she said.

Kayla gasped, poking her friend in the ribs, "You're gonna let me drive the _shiny car_", she nearly moaned.

Alyssa had a black two-door Aston Martin Mercedes. While she had had a better, _faster_ car five years ago, she was quite proud of this one – even if she hadn't put it together herself. Alyssa shrugged, "Only if you wanted to", she said nonchalantly.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Kayla said excitedly, clapping her hands childishly.

"Oh, god, Kay, don't have an orgasm over it", Alyssa said sarcastically. Kayla stared at her in shock for a moment, mouth dropped open in shock, before they both doubled over in laughter. Alyssa had met Kayla six years ago in a Starbucks, during her first week in San Diego. She had just turned twenty - two, and her life had been turned upside down by things that she hadn't really had control of at the time. She had been lonely and lost in what she had then felt was a huge city. Kayla had been the only other person sitting alone in the coffee shop, so she asked to sit with her. It took only minutes before they were best friends; Kayla helped her get her job at the hotel and find her amazing apartment. The _only_ thing Kayla didn't know about her, was the sketchy details surrounding her move to San Diego from Los Angeles.

"Anyways", Alyssa continued, "Let me call Mia back, really quickly and let her know when to send Brian to pick me up." She picked up the phone, still sitting on the couch and redialed the previous number.

Mia answered almost immediately; the phone must have been next to her, "When's your flight?" she asked, not wasting time with pleasantries.

"It gets in at eleven-thirty tonight", Alyssa said apprehensively.

"Oh, thank god", Mia said gratefully.

"You thought I would change my mind!" she accused her friend.

"It was a possibility", Mia said plainly.

"If it was anyone else, maybe", Alyssa conceded. "Can I speak to Brian for a minute, Mia?"

"Sure, hold on a minute", she said. Alyssa heard her calling her boyfriend who was probably watching the news in the other room.

A minute later, he was on the phone, she could tell he was grinning, "Hey, Buttercup, what's shakin'?"

Alyssa let an almost laugh, as she held back a sob aware of her friend watching her intently. "That's still corny, Brian", she said.

"And you still love it", he said confidently. "Besides, how the hell else was I supposed to get that guy to back off that night", he said laughing. "You always got into trouble with _someone_ when we went drinking."

She growled unhappily, "That's still not fair. There has to be a statute of limitations with something like that. Besides, you're the blonde, not me."

"Are you seriously trying to include made up laws in this conversation?" he asked incredulously. "Did you forget who you're talking to? And no, there is no limit on making fun of your awesome drunken moments."

"Good to know", she said dryly, rolling her eyes. She cleared her throat, not wanting to think about it at the moment, "_Anyways_, you're picking me up tonight", she said abruptly.

"Yeah, Mia said your flight gets in at eleven-thirty?" he questioned.

"Yes", she confirmed. "And I'm telling you now, if you're late to pick me up, I'll kick your ass."

He chuckled, "You can try", he teased. "I'll be there", he said quietly, picking up on her anxiety.

"Thank you", she said, "Besides, you know how I feel about long flights; you're not gonna want to mess with me, because I will _not_ be a happy camper."

"Alright, I'll play nice", he agreed.

"Stop _laughing_ at me", she complained, "I can _hear_ you smiling over the phone."

"Sorry", he was clearly choking back a laugh, "See you in a few hours, _Buttercup_." And he hung up on her before she could respond. She snapped her phone shut with a growl, she glared at the appliance in her hand, daring it to ring again so that she could throw it across the room.

She felt Kayla run a comforting hand through her hair and she leaned her head on her friend's shoulder with a whine, "This is _not_ going to be fun."

"Come on", Kayla said after a moment, forcing them both into a standing position. "Let's go get you packed, and you can fill me in."

--

A few hours later, her bags packed, she boarded a plane, taking her back to the one place she didn't want to be – and the people she had missed terribly. Three and a half hours later, the plane landed in Culiacan International Airport. The length of the flight was nowhere near long enough to calm her nerves, and she was fighting the urge to throw up as she made her way to the baggage claim.

Five minutes later, she snatched her two suitcases off the moving belt, adjusting her carry-on, and turned around to see a tan, blonde-haired man with sparkling blue eyes staring at her intently with a shit-eating grin on his face. She bit her lip momentarily straightening her shoulders, before walking sedately across the large hall to the wall he was leaning casually against, wheeling her bags behind her. She stopped in front of him, raising an eyebrow, "Brian", she said teasingly, tilting her head.

"What the hell did you do to your hair?" he asked suddenly, realizing that it was no longer tinged with red.

She let out a laugh, "Cut it, dyed it brown, do I need to state the obvious?"

He rolled his eyes, "Alright", he said, reaching for her, "Come here". He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

She let out a sigh, returning the hug. The adrenaline that had ruled her body for the last five hours began to fade, leaving her body shaking. "I missed you", she admitted.

He pulled back from her slightly, his hands still on her waist, "We've all missed you", he said pointedly. "You look good", he said, eyeing her carefully.

She squinted at him in amusement, "Thanks, I think." She had changed out of her comfortable outfit before heading to the airport. Kayla had been amused and curious, but Alyssa had only said, 'You only get one chance at a good first impression.' And then she spent the next fifteen minutes explaining that, no, it wasn't because of a guy. Except that it was, just not like _that_. Now she was in Mexico wearing a tight, red halter top and dark wash skinny jeans, with Brian staring at her. She had a black zipper hoodie in her carry-on bag, knowing that Mexico got cold at night. She rolled her eyes, "Put your eyes back in your head, Brian, or I'll tell Mia."

He laughed, "Just observing", he said lightly. "It was in my job description, you know."

"Moron", she muttered lightly.

He grabbed the handles of her two suitcases and they began walking back towards the exit, "Come on let's go before Mia wonders what happened to us", he said over her shoulder.

Alyssa stopped dead, "I have to pee", she announced – probably a little too loudly, if the man walking past her giving her a dirty look was any indication.

Brian snickered, turning around to face her, he let go of a suitcase to point, "Restroom's that way." She nodded, seeing the sign. "I'll meet you by the door", he said, pointing down the hall a little ways to where she could see a wall of windows and doors made entirely of glass. "Don't take too long or I'll come in there and cause a scene", he threatened.

She bit back a smile, "Give me five minutes before you send for the hellhounds", she said calmly. He nodded and they separated. She was glad she wouldn't have to deal with all her bags in the bathroom stall. She locked herself in a stall and leaned against the door, taking a few deep breaths to calm down before doing what she needed to do. Brian had been serious when he said he would come after her if she took too long. He had done it before, and it hadn't ended well, to say the least.

Four minutes later, and wearing her jacket, she met up Brian at the door, "Let's go, Buster", she called over her shoulder as she passed by him.

"Only Dom gets away with calling me that!" he complained, as she laughed at him not being able to chase her and tackle her to the ground like he clearly wanted to as he fought with her luggage – besides the fact that they were in an airport.

--

He threw her bags into the backseat of his remodeled black '97 two-door black Camaro, ignoring her whining to be careful. Brian opened her door for her, an eyebrow tilted in amusement, "When did you get so damn bitchy, woman?" he wondered absently before shutting her door instead of letting her respond.

When he got in the car, she had her arms folded across her chest pretending to be angry. "I'm not bitchy", she complained, "You were traumatizing my luggage."

Brian gave up trying to put his key in the ignition as he laughed his ass off until she couldn't help but join in. When he finally stopped laughing, he turned on the car, the engine roaring to life, "Ali, you're ridiculous, you know that?" his eyes glinting at her teasingly.

"I'm a breath of fresh air", she countered, sinking into the familiar seat. She let out a groan, "I've missed this car", she said running a hand over the dashboard. Brian just looked over at her with a knowing smirk. "What?" she questioned.

He shook his head, "Nothing", he said with a smile. He tossed her his cell phone, "Here", he said, "Text Mia. Let her know we're on our way, and ask if Leon texted her yet."

She did as he asked, and a few minutes later, the phone buzzed in her hand, she read it and related the message. "She said get our asses home, and she hasn't heard from them yet."

Brian nodded in approval, "Good. We should have perfect timing."

Alyssa looked at him warily, "Alright, what half-assed scheme did you guys come up with to get me into the house?"

"Well, everyone knows that Dom probably wouldn't just let you into the house", Brian explained, "So we got the other guys and Letty to get him out of the house until twelve-thirty or so. We were hoping they could keep him out long enough to get you and all your stuff into the house before they got back. In any case, Leon is supposed to message Mia when they're on their way back."

Alyssa flinched, "He's _so_ not gonna be happy. And I hope you realize that I'm blaming it on you guys."

He nodded, "It's okay, he just needs someone to knock some sense into him."

Her eyes widened, "You're all delusional if you think me being around is going to _help_ his state of mind", she said sternly.

"He'll listen to you", Brian argued, "after he ignores all of us for the next two or three days. Which to be honest, would be welcome in exchange for all his stupidness."

"Oh, my god", she muttered, horrified. "This is _such_ a bad idea, I can't even _tell_ you. Me talking to him is not going to happen like you guys all think it will."

"Why did you leave?" he asked seriously. "Everybody knows something happened between you and Dom, but he never said what – except to refute Vince asking if you two slept together. He _was_ very vocal about that much."

Alyssa laughed cynically, "I would imagine he was. No, Brian, we never slept together. That's so far from what happened that it's laughable. We didn't even sleep together when we dated twelve years ago."

"Well, what happened then?" he asked quietly.

Alyssa shook her head wearily and sighed, "Can we drop it, please? I don't want to talk about it right now."

Brian nodded reluctantly, "We'll be there in about ten minutes", he said after a moment of silence. "You ready?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically, "Hell no, but it's a little late to change my mind now." She leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes wanting to block out the world for just a few minutes.

"We're here", Brian said quietly a few minutes later. Alyssa opened her eyes and looked out the window to see a Spanish-styled, white, three-story house with a wrap-around porch. She couldn't see much else because it was the middle of the night, but she noticed the absence of any other houses in the immediate vicinity. It was almost exactly like she had imagined – it suited them perfectly. She squinted towards what she assumed would be the backyard and could make out the outline of a large garage.

Alyssa smiled tightly, "Let's get it over with", she murmured. They got out of the car and she made a big show of taking her luggage out of back of the car _carefully_ while Brian watched with amusement. She left them sitting on the gravelly driveway for Brian to take, and she grabbed her carry-on and walked up the porch stairs slowly to the door, letting Brian catch up to her so he could go in first.

"Hey Mia!" he called loudly through the house stepping through the doorway with her bags in tow. Alyssa followed him reluctantly, and looked around. She saw the expansive living room that was painted a light blue. The floor was a dark cherry wood and the room, full of white furniture, save the coffee table, was probably a testament to Mia's belief that the guys _could_ in fact be neat. Something Alyssa was sure had never been proven. Against the farthest wall there was a giant flat screen TV, and directly to the right of it, she saw part of the stair case hidden behind the wall that led upstairs.

She saw part of a giant dining room table around the corner of a half-wall that meshed with a floor to ceiling wall with an arch doorway which she assumed hid the kitchen. That was all she had time to notice before she was literally tackled by Mia. Her shoulder hit the wall roughly as arms were squeezing the oxygen from her lungs. The only thing she could see when she opened her eyes was Mia's long dark brown hair. "_Mia_", she squeaked, gasping for a breath, "I missed you and all, but I really like being able to breathe."

Mia pulled back slightly and she could see the tears in her eyes, "I'm so glad you're _here_", she said in disbelief. "I've missed you so much."

Alyssa took in her friend's features. Her face was thinner than it had been the last time she had seen her two and a half years ago, and although her hair was still long, she now had stylish bangs. She tugged gently on a lock of Mia's hair, "I've missed you too, baby sister", she said softly. Alyssa hugged her friend again, this time more prepared, before pulling away. She looked down before she moved, not wanting to trip over her bags, and promptly noticed they weren't there. She looked at Mia quizzically, "Where-" she started.

"Brian took them upstairs to your room", she said, interrupting her. Alyssa nodded with a slight smile. "Come on", Mia said grabbing her by the arm, "Let's go into the kitchen and enjoy the quiet for a few minutes", she said knowingly.

Alyssa smiled with relief, "You're the best." She saw Brian coming down the stairs without her bags, "Thanks, hopefully you won't have to play chauffeur for me again anytime soon", she said with a laugh as he play bowed in her direction.

He slung an arm playfully around her shoulders and they both pulled her into the kitchen to sit at the large island. They chatted idly for several minutes before Mia's phone buzzed on the hard surface. Mia flicked it open and shut in less than three seconds. "They'll be here in five minutes", she said shooting Alyssa a worried glance. "Maybe this was a bad idea", she muttered.

Alyssa rolled her eyes at her friend, "A little late for that, don't you think?" she questioned dryly. She turned to give Mia and Brian a wicked grin before getting off the barstool and moving to the large refrigerator. She opened it and glanced around for a moment before pulling a bottle out of the bottom drawer and swung the door shut gently. She ignored the stares that she was receiving and rifled through two drawers to locate the bottle opener and she popped the lid off and it clattered to the counter. She turned around, "What?" she asked rolling her eyes.

Brian spoke first, "Do you have a death wish?" he asked in astonishment.

Alyssa smiled and shook her head while Mia stared at her with raised eyebrows clearly telling her to explain herself. She glanced at the _Guinness_ in her hand, Dom's _Guinness_. "He's gonna be pissed I'm here anyways", she said with a shrug. "I might as well give him an actual reason. Besides, I should have _some_ fun with it all", she said calmly. _Nobody_ drank the _Guinness_. The _Corona _was replaceable – if it was done in a timely fashion. Simply stated, if you so much as _touched_ the dark bottles, you were in deep shit. She leaned her hip against the island counter, "Are they coming in that door?" she asked, motioning to the kitchen door that led to the back of the porch.

Mia nodded, "Yeah, they usually park out back."

Alyssa nodded once, "Good", she said, taking a sip from the bottle, she choked lightly at the identical looks on their faces. "Stop looking like the world is about to explode!" she laughed.

Brian had opened his mouth to speak when a flash of headlights came through the window. Two cars pulled into the long winding driveway and disappeared into the large garage, the door automatically closing behind them. "Well, they're here", Mia said after a moment.

Alyssa nodded, staring resolutely at the door, still leaning casually against the island. The kitchen was silent until the doorknob turned slowly and the door was swung open. She watched as Leon, Vince, Jesse, and Letty walked through the door, all sporting grins on their faces. She smiled but rolled her eyes at them. She felt his presence before she saw him walk through the door, slightly hidden behind Vince; it was like being punched in the stomach. There hadn't been time to prepare for this. Vince glanced at the bottle in her hand giving her a look that clearly asked if she was crazy – which she ignored, ducking her head for a moment.

Then he saw her, obviously not recognizing her, "Who the hell is this, and why is she drinking my beer?" he questioned in a tone tinged with anger.

"Nice to see you too, Dom", she said, looking up with a smirk.

"_What_ is she doing here?" he growled. It was a question clearly directed to Mia or Brian, but he was staring directly at her.

She broke his intent gaze long enough to look at Vince, who answered her unasked question, mouthing, "He's not drunk", and she felt her stomach calm down slightly. She stared back at him, waiting for his tirade to continue – she knew from experience that it was best to just get it over with.

He moved towards her purposefully, everyone moving reluctantly out of the way, until he was less than a foot away from her. She tilted the bottle up to her lips tauntingly and took a long drink, her eyes never leaving his. Her heart was pounding in her chest - and she was sure he could hear it - as their staring contest continued. He stared at her like he hadn't in years. The few times they had been forced together during the past six years, he had treated her with an intent disinterest, if he hadn't ignored her completely. The man in front of her, was the one they had all relied on without question. Each and every one of them had jumped in and out of cars for him with little more than a word. The trust had been implicit. He protected all of them.

She had known him since she was fourteen, moving in with their family a year later. He had been an older brother to her for the better part of her life. He had taught her to drive when she turned sixteen, and had helped her build her first car. And right now, he was looking at her in the way he knew she hated. No one could read her better than he could, when he stared at her, she felt naked, like he could see straight through her. He usually could.

"You shouldn't be here", he said finally.

"I was invited", she said quietly.

He took the bottle from her hand and drank the rest of it. He set it on the counter with a clatter. "You need to leave; now", he said turning away from her like that would be the end of it. Once upon a time, it was, but not tonight.

"I'm not leaving, Dom. Not until I get what I came for", Alyssa said, tilting her head up at him and sliding her hands into her back pockets defiantly.

He whirled on her, invading her space, using his height in an attempt to intimidate her. It might have worked on someone else, but she wasn't afraid of him. She knew he wouldn't physically hurt her. He narrowed his eyes and towered over her, "There's nothing left for you here", he said.

She took a step closer, "You must have misunderstood", she said coldly, "I wasn't asking your permission. I'm staying", she said determinedly, "You'll just have to get over it. Besides", she finished quietly, "I don't think you actually want me to leave." It was a hunch, but she was desperate for it to be true.

"You're wrong", he said, eyes hard.

"I don't think I am", she said calmly.

His eyes flickered with an emotion she couldn't decipher, "You are", he said turning around, heading back towards the door.

She was aware of the others, still silent in the kitchen with them, but chose to ignore their presence for the time being. "Then say it", she demanded desperately.

"I already have", he said deliberately not turning around.

"No", she said, "Say the one thing that you know will make me leave."

He was in front of her again in less than a second, pressing her against the counter, she saw the regret in his eyes. "Dom! Stop it!" Mia demanded in shock.

Alyssa shot her a look, "Mia, it's fine", she said softly. She looked back up at her captor, with hard eyes, "Go ahead, say it", she insisted. He stared at her until she flinched and he backed away from her.

He went over to the tiny basket setting on a shelf by the door and pulled out a key chain with a few keys on it. He twirled one key off of it and dropped it back into the basket carelessly and walking back to her. "Here", he said, dropping a familiar looking key into her hand.

She stared at it for a moment, eyes widening, "How – why?" she rambled looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows showing her confusion.

"Take your car when you leave this time", he said pointedly.

"Why didn't you sell it, or something?" she asked in shock.

"It wasn't my car to sell", he said.

"Bullshit", she said in disbelief, "It was yours just as much as it was mine. I left it here; you could have sold it." She was watching him so intently, she didn't notice Letty sneak up next to her until she was punched in the shoulder. "Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing her arm. "What the hell was that for?" she demanded.

"Speaking of you leaving", Letty said, "What the _hell_ were you thinking just taking off like that without a word? You're lucky I'm not gonna kick your skinny white ass!"

Alyssa's jaw dropped, "I – you didn't-", she stopped to glare at Dom angrily, "Of _course_ you would save your own ass", she bit out sarcastically.

"Could we _please_ not start talking about my brother's ass", Mia pleaded dryly. She heard Brian chuckle.

"Shut it, Buster", Alyssa demanded. "And _you_", she exclaimed, poking Dom in the chest, "How _dare you_ make them think that I abandoned all of you when you were the one who told me to leave in the first place!" she yelled.

"You did _what_?" Mia questioned in disbelief.

"I had my reasons", he said.

"I thought you said you two _didn't_ have sex", Vince said.

"We did _not_ have sex", Dom said loudly. "And she didn't have to leave."

"Are you kidding me?" Alyssa exclaimed. "I come home and find you in my room, pissed as hell, you hand me a plane ticket – _to fucking Texas_ – practically pack my stuff for me, tell me it would be better if I _left_, and then you went out to your car and took off! What the fuck did you expect to happen?" she yelled.

"I came back two hours later, and you were _gone_", he said darkly.

"I waited for an hour", she choked, "I took me another twenty minutes to get the rest of my stuff, and then I called a cab." She wiped a tear viciously from her face.

She watched his jaw tighten out of the corner of her eye. "I wanted to protect you", he said tightly, "Bad shit was about to start happening, and I didn't want you in the middle of it."

"I was _twenty - two_, Dom, not fifteen", Alyssa said crossing her arms. "You should have told me the truth and given me a choice. And you _definitely_ shouldn't have sent me to _Texas_!"

He rolled his eyes, "How long were you there before back to San Diego?" he asked pointedly.

"Two days", she said in exasperation. "You know how much armadillos freak me the hell out! I was pretty sure that was a message", she said.

He sighed, "Why would you believe for one minute that I would actually _want_ you to leave?" he asked incredulously.

"I'd known you for six years", she said, tears running down her cheeks, "And in all that time, you had _never_ lied to me. What choice did I have besides taking it at face value?" He reached for her, clearly intending to comfort her like he had so many times in the past, but she backed up slightly. "Please don't", she cried angrily, "I just – I can't, I can't let you hold me right now, _please_."

She heard him sigh in frustration as he walked in the other direction and she felt arms wrap around her and pick her up from her sinking position – _Vince_.

"That's not cool, man", she heard Leon say angrily to Dom.

"What the hell would you like me to do?" she heard him say defensively, "She doesn't want me near her right now."

"Can you blame her?" Leon retorted. "But that's not what I'm talking about. You two need to fix your shit already. And _you_ owe her a huge ass apology", he finished. Alyssa would have laughed if it wasn't about her. These guys may not have been eloquent, but they sure as hell could get the point across.

She heard a door slam as she was carried to a couch in the living room and she curled herself into a ball on Vince's lap. It was ironic how almost nothing had changed. She felt someone squeeze her hand and she looked up reluctantly to see Letty, a very pissed off Letty. "I've gotta go after my stubborn ass boyfriend", she said, "But don't worry, we got your back, girl."

"Thanks, Let", she said looking determined, "But you can bet your ass I'll being dealing with his shit myself very soon."

"Good enough for me, girl", she said, "But that asshole still has to answer to me for lying."

Alyssa laughed through her lingering tears, "Go get him tiger", she said. Letty nodded and left, slamming the door behind her. "If he what was good for him, he'd be running far away and not just throwing wrenches around the garage", she muttered to the rest of them.

She heard Vince laughed behind her, "She's gonna tear him a new one", he agreed, his arms tightening around her to stop her attempts to sit up. She gave up easily, not really wanting to move anyway and turned slightly to lean her head against his shoulder so she could see everyone, her family.

The expressions on their faces varied as they all processed the new information. Alyssa knew she had a few minutes, at least, before someone spoke, and she took this time to remember past situations that had led her to almost this exact position.


	2. Chapter 2

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 2**_

--

_Twelve years earlier:_

Alyssa had moved into the Toretto's house when she was fourteen. They were all going to the same high school, and she had become fast friends with Letty Ortiz because Alyssa was in her advanced English class even though Letty was a year older than her. Alyssa loved to read because it helped distract her from most of the time she spent alone in her apartment. She and Letty had gotten paired for an assignment and Letty had insisted that they do it at the Toretto's she could get to know everyone better.

Alyssa had agreed reluctantly, mostly because Letty was quite pushy. They ended up in the Toretto's kitchen with Mia, writing an outline for their oral report on Jane Austen – an author which Alyssa loved and Letty had hated. Mia, a year younger than Alyssa, was actually quite helpful with the subject, and by some stretch of the imagination, also wasn't intimidated by Letty. Of course, her older brother was Dominic Toretto – enough said. After a couple hours of plotting, Alyssa was more than capable of holding her own against Letty herself, and her own argumentative side came out as she began debating pros and cons with the older girl.

"Well, that's not something you see every day", Dom had said from the opened back door, startling them.

Letty had just rolled her eyes, pointedly ignoring him while Mia had waved a hand, making an insignificant attempt to 'shoo' him away, and saying, "Get out!" Alyssa took her cue from Letty and stared at the book in front of her. This was what she had been afraid of. She had _no idea_ how to act around the male species. She had an older half-brother from her father's first marriage, but he was seven years older than her, and he lived with his mother two hours away, so she really only saw him every month or so. So, obviously that was no help to her whatsoever.

Dominic Toretto ignored his younger sister and made his way to the fridge, asking, "Who's the new girl? 'Cause I gotta say, anyone who can get Letty to do _homework_, should be around more often."

Letty's head snapped up, "Watch it, Toretto", she demanded.

He just laughed, taking a drink of a soda. "Oh, c'mon, this is like a bigfoot sighting", he teased. "Where's a camera when I need one?"

"Oh, I don't know", Letty said, "But if I find one, I'll shove it up your ass", she finished sweetly. Alyssa snickered.

"What are you guys working on?" he asked coming over to the table.

"An oral report on Jane Austen", Alyssa answered not thinking. She had been trying to keep the attention off of herself, and she barely resisted slapping a hand over her mouth in horror. Letty just groaned, not seeming to notice the impending doom that Alyssa felt.

Dom had quirked a side grin at her, seeming to read her expression correctly – this was _beyond_ humiliating. "Are you going to tell me your name now?" he prodded humorously.

"Oh, give me a break", she muttered, obviously unhappy with his tone, "It's not like it's a huge secret." She stood up slowly, bracing herself, "Alyssa Connelly", she said calmly.

"Dominic Toretto", he said, copying her tone.

She raised an eyebrow, "I know", she replied, sliding carefully back onto her chair and picking her pencil back up pointedly.

"I have to go start dinner", Mia said getting up from the table. "Alyssa, will you stay for dinner?" she asked hopefully.

She looked up at the younger girl wide-eyed, "Oh, I don't-"

"You should", Dom said cutting her off, "You got Letty to crack a book for the first time this semester – over Jane Austen no less. Dad's gonna want to meet you", he laughed.

"Dominic Toretto", Letty threatened, "you are in _so_ much trouble", she said, standing up defensively.

Alyssa stood up quickly, tilting her head teasingly towards Dom, "Do you do that often? Because that could be a potential problem…" she trailed off innocently, leaning her hip against the table.

He raised an eyebrow, "Do what?"

"Exaggerate", she answered neatly while leaning over to close her notebook. She heard Mia let out a laugh of surprise.

Dom had leaned over her playfully, "You'd better watch who you talk to like that around here, sweetheart."

Her lips trembled with laughter. Is _this _what she had been missing out on for her whole life? She purposefully crossed her eyes at him momentarily, "I'm not scared of you", she said honestly, quite surprised to find that she really _wasn't_.

He laughed, "Just a friendly warning", he explained. He shook his head, "You're staying for dinner", he said deciding for her.

"Will your parents care?" Mia called from the kitchen. "You can call them."

Alyssa pursed her lips, she shook her head finally, "They won't care", she said, "They aren't even home."

Mia squealed, "I'll get you out a plate!"

Letty laughed lightly, "I think you just made her day", she said beginning to clean off the table for dinner. Alyssa grabbed her things and slid them into her backpack that was on the floor leaning against the chair. "We can finish this tomorrow", Letty said.

Alyssa nodded, "Where should I put my bag so it's not in the way?" she asked. Letty quirked a brow at her. "Oh, stop looking at me like I just jumped off the crazy train. I know how to be polite", she stated exasperatedly.

Letty laughed, picking up her bag, "I'll put it in the corner. You'll fit in here just fine", she called over her shoulder as she walked down the hall.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alyssa grumbled, forgetting she wasn't alone.

"You just got the Letty-stamp of approval", Dom said amusedly from behind her.

She whirled around nervously to face him, "I'm still confused", she admitted.

"Letty doesn't always play nice with strangers", he explained. "She likes you even after she had to do homework, and that says a lot. Mia is easy; she likes almost anyone."

She nodded slowly, "And you?" she wondered curiously.

He gave her a long look, and she forced herself not to look away. She had a feeling he was testing her for her earlier skittishness. "I'm more of a wait and see kind of person", he said finally.

She smiled softly, "And in the meantime?"

"I usually have fairly good instincts", he admitted, "So I tend to give the people that seem trustworthy the benefit of the doubt until they screw it up."

Now Alyssa grinned, "Oh, I see; you're a secret pessimist."

He grimaced, "And here I thought I was hiding it so well. You know, it takes one to know one", he said seriously.

Her smile dropped, "Yeah, it does." She walked past him, planning to help Mia in the kitchen when he called her again.

"I hope you realize you still have to get past my dad… and Vince", he added after a moment.

_Damn_, she thought. She had forgotten that Vince lived with them. She didn't know him, but his dangerous appearance scared her slightly. To her he resembled Wolverine from _X-Men_. She tossed a sarcastic look over her shoulder, "Thanks so much for that", she complained. His laughed followed her as she went into the kitchen.

An hour or so later, Mr. Toretto arrived with Vince behind him. He was a large muscular man with black hair that was grayed around the edges that made him look slightly intimidating. Alyssa watched as he hugged his daughter, swinging her around gently making Mia laugh.

Alyssa looked up to see Vince watching her carefully, "Hey, Mia", he questioned, "Who'd you bring home?"

"Dad, this is Alyssa", Mia said as he put her down. "She has an English project to work on with Letty. I invited her to stay for dinner, alright?"

"Sure, girly. You're the one cooking dinner tonight, anyway", he said with a chuckle. He approached her and held out a hand for her to take. "Hi, I'm Mr. Toretto", he said with a smile.

"Hello, Sir", she said shaking his hand.

He raised an eyebrow, "Ooh, this one has manners", he laughed jokingly.

"Don't get her started on her manners, Mr. T", Letty said teasingly, coming into the kitchen.

Alyssa laughed lightly, "What happened? Did it just hit you that we spent two and a half hours working on a project?"

"Watch it, girly", Letty mock-glared, "I can take you down."

Alyssa tossed her hair, "Ooh, I'm _scared_ of you", she said with a giggle.

"What did I hear about you doing homework, Miss Ortiz?" Mr. Toretto questioned in disbelief.

"Didn't you hear, Dad", Dom said from where he was leaning against a wall, "Apparently that girl's a miracle worker of sorts."

Letty managed to elbow him in the ribs, "You should be nice", she hissed.

"Letty, there's no violence in my kitchen", Mr. Toretto reminded dryly.

"Sorry, Mr. T.", she said.

"Wow", Vince finally spoke, "if someone can finally get the book-hater over there to do actual schoolwork, we might have to keep that girl."

Alyssa finally raised an eyebrow in his direction, "Oh, I'm sure it can't be _that_ unheard of", she said calmly.

Vince answered her question, "Letty hasn't done any actual homework since sixth grade."

"How did you _pass_?" Alyssa asked Letty in disbelief.

Letty rolled her eyes, "I guess I just do better on tests."

"You're my new idol", Alyssa said seriously. Anything else that may have been said was cut off by her shriek as she was picked up off of the ground and spun in a circle.

"Ok, Mr. T.", she heard Vince's rough voice in her left ear – which explained _who_ had been spinning her, "I say we keep the ankle-biter."

"I think I'm a little offended by that nickname", Alyssa mumbled, not at all forcefully.

"Vince, put her down", Dom said sternly, but she could see the tilt of his lips from the corner of her eye. "And as for keeping her", he continued, "She's staying for dinner."

She was dropped gently to the floor and buried a grin when Dom winked at her. Apparently he had been playing her earlier – or else she had just tamed a Wolverine. She wondered if she would get a chance to ask. But Letty was grinning at her, although she looked somewhat shocked, and she took it as a good sign. "Dinner's ready", Mia called and there was a stampede to the dining room table.

Letty hooked an arm through hers and pulled her into a seat next to her, "You are _so_ gonna have to tell me how you managed that, _chica_", she whispered in her ear as they all began digging into the lasagna, salad, and garlic bread.

Dinner was a fun affair. There was a lot of laughing and chatter, something Alyssa wasn't used to, and so she stayed mostly quiet, just taking it all in. They let the boys clean the kitchen, and they all eventually ended up in the living room. Finally, reluctantly, she looked to Letty and Mia, "I have to go", she explained, getting up from her spot on the couch.

"How are you getting home?" Mr. Toretto asked as he stood up from his recliner. "It's getting dark", he said, gesturing out the window.

Alyssa smiled lightly, "I was going to take the bus", she replied. "It comes around eight."

He squinted at her, "Where do you live?"

"At the apartment building on Fourth Street", she said matter-of-factly.

"That's about twenty minutes from here", he said giving her a stern look. She just nodded. "Won't your parents be upset with you riding the bus at night?"

Alyssa grimaced, "No, they wouldn't", she said. She wasn't used to people asking her about what she was doing, and she found it odd.

"Dominic can drive you home", he said decisively.

Her eyes widened slightly as she shook her head in shock, "Oh, no, Mr. Toretto", she protested, "That's not-"

"It will ease my peace of mind", he said firmly, interrupting her. "And you can call me 'Mr. T.'", he said, "I expect to see you around, Miss Alyssa."

She had to smile, "You will. Thanks for having me", Alyssa turned to everyone else who had been watching the ping-pong match, all the while knowing who would win. Mr. T. was a force to be reckoned with. "Letty, I'll see you in class tomorrow; Mia, thanks for dinner", she said with a grin.

Letty tossed her a half-grin, "Later, girl."

"I'll walk you guys to the door", Mia said getting up.

Alyssa looked around quickly to see Dom behind her with her book bag in tow. She gave him a quick smile and reached for her bag only to have him hold it up and out of her reach. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, "That's not fair", she complained. He smirked at her and stared down at her until she let out a huff of annoyance, "Fine", she conceded grumpily.

He laughed, "Be back later", he said to everyone else with her following behind him.

She turned around feeling braver than she had earlier, "Hey, Vince", she called. He raised an interested eyebrow at her. "Nice meeting you", she said with a grin.

His look matched hers, "Later, Ankle-biter", he laughed. She rolled her eyes but laughed as she followed Dom and Mia to the door, pretending not to notice that they were snickering.

When she got into the front seat of Dom's car, she still didn't get her bag back; instead it was tossed into the backseat, which she didn't mind. They drove for a few minutes in silence, and she was moderately surprised that he was such a good driver. Not really though, seeing as his father was the go-to guy when it had anything to do with cars. It did take her a few minutes before she asked what she had been wondering. She cleared her throat lightly, "So were you just screwing with me earlier?" she asked, "Or was today what people would consider a fluke accident?"

He turned his head to glance at her momentarily, "What do you mean?"

"_Vince_", she said in exasperation. "Do I need to be worried about him trying to bite me or something tomorrow, or what? Because, I would really prefer the warning."

He laughed, "Well, I don't know exactly how he feels about biting", he started, "But, no, I wasn't _really_ messing with you earlier. Vince is a lot like Letty when it comes to new people – probably worse."

Alyssa groaned, "Well, that's great", she muttered sarcastically. "Letty can be scary."

Dom snorted, "No shit."

She snickered. "You didn't exactly answer my question", she pointed out.

"To be honest, I have absolutely _no idea_ where all that came from. Are you _sure_ you don't have magical powers, or something?" he teased.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, I'm sure", she monotoned indulgently.

"Good to know", he answered dryly. "You're probably lethal to the male species, in any case."

She gave him an incredulous look, "Excuse me? I do hope you realize how ridiculous that sounds."

"You're like a lion tamer or something", he continued. "Whatever you did to chill Vince out seriously worked."

Alyssa sighed, "Alright, let me rephrase this: I have no experience with the male species _whatsoever_. Interacting with them is absolutely terrifying to me, so I'm fairly certain whatever threw Vince off his rocker was completely circumstantial", she finished, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, then, I guess I'm flattered", he drawled, "Or maybe insulted."

She tilted her face back away from the window to peer over at him in the dark car, "What do you mean?" she wondered in confusion.

"Well, either I'm _your_ fluke accident, or you clearly don't realize that _I'm_ a guy", he said.

She bit the tip of her tongue as she tried not to grin, "You're right in front of me", she said confidently, "Trust me, I noticed."

"Okay, what was that shit?" he complained. "For someone who claims to be afraid of guys, you are an _awful_ flirt."

She pouted momentarily, "First of all, I didn't say I was _afraid-_"

"No, if I remember correctly, you said 'terrified'", he pointed out.

"And secondly, what do you mean by 'awful'? Does that mean good or bad in your book?" she questioned.

He gave her another side-glance, "I wasn't complaining", he said finally. She smirked. "Ok, where am I going?" he asked after a moment.

She let out a quiet laugh, "Turn left at the next light", she answered as she settled back against the comfortable seat cushion. He pulled into the parking lot for her apartment building a few minutes later and parked the car before turning it off. "What are you doing?" she questioned suspiciously.

"I'm walking you in", he said. "And don't even try arguing about it; you won't win this one either." He reached around to grab her bag and she tried to ignore his chest brushing against her shoulder.

"At least give me my bag then", she said convincingly.

He rolled his eyes, "Uh-uh, I don't think so. I can see the wheels turning in your head", he said getting out of the car, "The bag is my bargaining chip."

She followed him around the front of the car, sauntering closer to him, "Exactly _what_ do you think you're going to need to bargain for?" she questioned in a quiet voice. He just held the bag out of her reach again. She growled incoherently and stalked towards the walkway leading to the door, ignoring the fact that he was laughing at her _again_. She whirled around to face him, still walking backwards up the walkway, "And for the love of carbs, stop reading my mind! It's annoying, and frankly, it's quite disconcerting."

He jogged to catch up with her, and pulled her out of the way of the aluminum trash bin, keeping her under his arm as they walked through the door. He stopped them just inside to point at her sternly, "No more walking backwards", he said seriously. She just laughed and tugged him towards the elevator and hit the up arrow.

She hit the button for the fourth floor and leaned against the rail to stare up at him, "You really don't have to come up", she said.

He gives her an odd look, "Are your parents home?"

She laughed derisively, "Are they here? Absolutely not." The elevator _pinged_, and the doors opened.

"You're evading the question", he said pointedly as he followed her down the hall.

She stopped in front of a door and leaned against the wall next to it, "Can I have my bag now so I can dig the key out?" she asked. "I won't lock you out, I promise", she said with a quiet laugh.

"And you'll answer my question?" he asks, although it sounded more like a statement.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes", she said honestly. He hands her the bag.

She digs through it for a minute until she finds her keychain. She unlocks the door and steps in, flipping the light switch on the wall to light up the kitchen. Alyssa let him step in behind her and shut and locked the door before sliding her tennis shoes off and throwing them into the closet near the door. She makes her way quietly to the fridge and peers inside. "Want a soda?" she asks taking two off a shelf. She slides his across the counter for him without waiting for an answer.

He follows her to the living room where there is a soft red couch, a coffee table and a small television setting on what looks like a dresser. A red blinking light catches her eye and she walks over to the shelf with a phone and answering machine setting on it. She can see Dom behind her, watching her with a raised eyebrow. She _was_ glaring at an answering machine. She groaned, "Just a sec", she mutters as she hits the button to play the message.

"_Hey, Ali-cat", a deep voice plays through the speakers. "Just wanted to make sure you're still alive. I haven't spoken with Dad in about a month, so I just wanted to check in. Call me back tonight, alright? Bye."_ She hit the save button and ran a hand through her hair.

"Who was that?" Dom asked her.

She turned around reluctantly, "John", she said, "My brother."

He raised an eyebrow, "He doesn't live around here", he said, making it a statement, not a question.

Alyssa shook her head, "No, he lives in Washington with his fiancée Rachel. He's my half brother; my dad was married to his mother Anne for four years. John is seven years older than me, so we aren't very close, but he calls every few weeks to check on me", she finished with a sigh. "Let me call him back real quick and get it over with. It will only take a minute." He nodded and she picked up the phone before moving to sit on the arm of the couch, motioning for him to have a seat.

She dials the familiar number slowly, deliberately, and it rings three times before it gets picked up. "Hi, Rachel", she says when she hears her soon-to-be sister-in-law's energetic voice answer the phone. "Can I talk to John for a minute?"

When her brother comes to the phone she stands up and begins pacing the room. They have the same conversation every time he calls. He wants to make sure she's alright, that's she's not skipping school – which, of course, she's not. She doesn't understand why he doesn't remember that she like to spend as little time alone as possible.

"How long has it been since they called you?" he asks finally with a sigh. The answer to that question is always different.

"Two months", she says after a moment. She marks it on the calendar.

"They're still sending you money?" he makes sure. That's not as offensive as it could be; she figures that they wouldn't even do it if they couldn't set up the automatic withdrawal.

She rolls her eyes, "Yes", she answers.

"Look, I'm completely aware that they are assholes", John started, "But I don't get why you didn't just go with them. It's not like they were ever home anyway."

"Well, they didn't really ask my opinion about it to begin with", she retorted bitingly. "Of course they lied to you. What parent would willingly admit that they moved to a different country and left their kid alone?" She could feel Dom staring at her.

Her brother sighed, and she could practically hear him scrubbing a hand over his face, "I'm sorry", he said, "I should have known. So, besides the fact that everything sucks, are you alright?"

She chuckled, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"If anything changes, I want you to call me", he said seriously. "When you come up next month, I'll sign for you to get a cell phone. I don't like the idea of not being able to get ahold of you."

She sighed, "How'd you turn into such a worry-wart?" she teased.

"You try having _you_ as a little sister when we have such an idiot for a father", he countered.

She laughed, "I'm sure that would be impossible. I'll talk to you next week", she said finally.

Alyssa hangs up the phone, putting it back on the charger and grimaces when she turns to see Dom still staring at her, shock and disbelief crossing his faces and she groans. He stands up to cross the small living room and stops in front of her. "Where are your parents?" he asks seriously.

She crosses her arms defensively, "In Europe somewhere", she answers quietly, "England I think."

He studied her seriously, "They aren't coming back, are they?"

"No", she said finally, "They're not."

"Why don't you live with your brother?" he wondered.

"We haven't spent time together for real since I was five", Alyssa said running a hand through her hair, "And my dad would never admit to failing with another kid."

"I'm sorry", Dom said quietly.

Alyssa gave a wry smile, "Well, like my brother said, it's not like they were home often before anyway. It just means that I learned to take care of myself quickly." She cleared her throat after a moment. "Hold on a minute", she said lightly, "I can't stand this outfit for another second." He gave her a slightly alarmed look and she laughed, "That wasn't a line", she said honestly.

He shrugged, "I'll take your word for it", he said dryly and she disappeared into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Dom went back to sit on the couch and wait for her to come back. He turned the television on and surfed channels for a few minutes until he heard a loud shriek followed by expletives he was surprised to hear, "_Mother-fucking son-of-a-bitch!"_

He got up and opened the door to the bedroom without knocking, looking around cautiously, only to find it empty. He walked farther into the room warily, noticing light coming under another door. Dom walked around the unmade bed, taking note of the double-sized bed with a turquoise and black comforter that matched the turquoise sheets, and approximately six giant pillows. He got to the door, taking a glance at the messy opened closet across from it, and knocked before opening it partially, not waiting for a response. "What are you _doing_?" he asked incredulously.

"_Madre de Dios!_" she hissed, "You scared the crap outta me. Don't move", she commanded. She had changed into a dark pink tank top and black shorts, but now she was crouched on top of the bathroom counter, leaning forward slightly with an upside-down Dixie cup dangling from her hand, aiming it towards the floor.

Dom peered further around the door to see the tiled floor. He started laughing when he saw what she was aiming the cup at and pushed the door opened so he could get in. Without much thought, he squashed the offending cockroach with the heel of his shoe. "_Eww_", he heard. Her voice was closer to his ear from her position on the counter than it would have been if she were standing on the floor.

He chuckled. "I'm assuming that I _didn't_ just kill a pet", he said, gesturing to the cup in her hand with amusement even as he took off his shoe to smack it against the garbage can hard enough to dislodge the squished bug and put the shoe back on.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "No, that was _not_ a welcome guest." She stood up from her crouched position and began to walk the length of the sink, carefully avoiding the items on the counter. Instead, she was grabbed around the waist, and Dom set her on the floor. "My hero", she drawled with a laugh. "Thank you", she said seriously. "I _hate_ bugs in general – but those fuckers hiss, and that freaks me the hell out", she explained, brushing stray hairs out of her face. "Which is why after I catch them, I drown them and put them down the garbage disposal", she finished darkly.

He raised an eyebrow, "Well, that's sadistic", he said. "Aren't you a little young to have such a potty-mouth?" he teased.

She laughed, "I'm almost fifteen; so, no, I don't think so."

"When's your birthday?" he asked amusedly.

"January fourth", she said blandly as she slid past him and went back into the living room to sit on the couch. "What about you?"

"_My_ birthday?" Dom asked with a laugh taking a seat next to her.

"Mhm", she hummed, "When is it?"

"March twenty-third", he answered. "Where'd you learn Spanish?" he asked after a moment.

She quirked her head sideways to look at him, "What do you mean?"

"You don't even know you did it, do you?" he chuckled. "You yelled at me in Spanish when I scared you in the bathroom", he explained.

Alyssa scrunched her eyebrows thoughtfully and shrugged, "My parents hired a 'nanny' of sorts to stay with me in the evenings and mornings until I was twelve. She spent three years as a foreign exchange student in Mexico. Her name was Anna. She was only twenty-four when they hired her. She started teaching me to speak Spanish almost immediately – I was seven at the time. By the time I actually had to take the class in sixth grade, I was almost fluent. I guess now I do it sometimes without thinking about it."

Dom stroked his chin, "I see", he said in a deep voice.

Alyssa let out a peal of laughter, "You are _so_ not the Godfather."

"You've seen those movies?" Dom asked in surprise.

She got up and went to the dresser that the television was sitting on and opened a drawer. A few seconds later she held up all of the _Godfather_ DVDs. "Guilty pleasure", she said.

He folded his arms across his chest as he leaned even farther back against the cushions looking at her intently, "Why's that?"

She quirked a grin, putting the movies back and taking her seat again. "When I was younger, my brother would come to the house for a weekend maybe once a month – he was living with his mother a few hours away. Our dad, at least, made it a point to be home on those weekends. Dad bought them for John's birthday when he turned eleven, and he _loved _them so much that he would bring them with him every time we came over and we would spend a whole Saturday watching them. It was one of the few times that we spent time together without Dad getting interrupted by work. John bought me the movies two years ago for Christmas. I probably watch them once a month, even now. I haven't decided if it makes me miss those times more or less."

"Maybe it's a little bit of both", Dom suggested.

Alyssa gave a soft laugh and nodded, "Probably", she admitted. "Every three or four months though, John, Rachel, and I get on the phone and watch them together – if I haven't been at their house to watch them for a while. _That _is something that ends up being quite fun."

"How often do you go see them?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Once every month or two, it just depends on our schedules."

"You don't like being alone, do you?" he asked. But it was more of a statement, and she had a feeling he did that a lot.

"No, I hate it", she admitted, "But I'm used to it." She glanced towards the kitchen, "Not that I'm trying to kick you out or anything", she said reluctantly, "but it's getting late. And I have an hour or so of algebra homework to muddle through – if I don't kill myself in the process", she said with a grimace.

"Math hater?" he asked with a laugh.

"I hate it because I _suck_ at it", she grumbled. "That shit is just annoying."

"Algebra Two?" he asked knowingly.

"Yes", she groaned.

He stood up, "If you need help let me know", he said with a grin.

She made a face, "Oh, no", she complained, "Are you a math genius?"

"Nah", he chuckled, "But I'm probably better than you."

"That's not saying much", Alyssa admitted standing up next to him. "God, why are you so tall?" she asked exasperatedly looking up.

He ruffled her hair, "Because I'm awesome", he said nonchalantly.

She laughed, swatting his hand away, "And you _clearly_ have a conceited streak a mile long."

"Yeah, maybe", he admitted. "But me and my conceited streak can still help you with your math."

"Maybe I'll take you up on that", she said. "But not tonight. Something tells me that your dad will be wondering where you are."

He groaned, "Yeah, probably", he said with a stretch. "Got a piece of paper?" he asked abruptly.

She nodded and went to the kitchen and opened a drawer. "Here", she said handing him a piece of paper and a pen.

He wrote quickly and handed it back to her, "It's our house number", he explained.

She studied it intently, "Surprisingly neat hand-writing", she said under her breath.

"Call if you need anything", he said seriously.

She fought to keep the amusement off her face, "Don't tell me you're a worry-wart too", she chided.

"You're lucky I'm not hauling your tiny ass back to my house right now", he admitted.

She quirked an eyebrow, "You've been looking at my ass?" she asked teasingly.

"_No_", he said defensively. "And you completely missed the point."

She laughed, "Yeah, I'm just good like that."

He scrubbed his hands over his face in annoyance, "I have the feeling that this is the start of an odd relationship."

"If you can handle me", she said. "I can be difficult."

He smirked at her, "I noticed", he said wryly.

She looked up at him seriously, "So, did I pass _your_ test?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow. "Don't think I didn't notice", she reprimanded.

"Sorry", he said unrepentantly.

"No you're not", she returned dryly.

He sighed, "No, I'm not", he agreed. "I'm just a little-"

"Over-protective?" she supplied.

He chuckled, "Well, that's a nice way of putting it. Letty and Mia usually call me something along the lines of 'over-bearing asshole'."

"I can see that", Alyssa said with a grin. "You didn't answer my question", she pointed out.

He took on a serious face, "Once you're in you can't get out, you know."

She grinned, "Do I need to sign a contract?"

"I'll let you know tomorrow night", Dom said. She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're staying for dinner; I'll drive you home."

"You don't have to do that", she protested. He gave her a pointed look and she rolled her eyes. "_Fine_", she conceded.

He laughed, "Don't even act like you're upset about it."

"Jerk", she grumbled light-heartedly as he headed towards the door.

"See you tomorrow, _Alyssa_", he said teasingly.

"_Dominic_", she returned, opening the door for him to step out. He gave her a chin-up gesture and she shut and locked the door behind him. "_What the hell just happened?_" she wondered aloud.

Alyssa went to the fridge to get a water bottle before dragging her book bag out of the corner and down the hall to her room. She pulled out her math book and notebook and got comfortable on her bed, settling in for a night of studying.

--

She went to the Toretto's with Letty after school again the next day; it was much like the previous night. Although it was the guy's turn to cook, so they ordered pizza. Mr. T. just shook his head saying, "I'm pretty sure that's cheating", and dinner went on much like it had the night before.

"Did you girls finish your project?" Mr. T. asked as he pulled out a carton of _Rocky Road_ ice cream out of the freezer.

Letty groaned, "Yes, but I don't know why", she complained glaring at Alyssa. "It's not due until Friday."

Alyssa laughed, "Sorry, Letty, but I have dance class on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted to finish it by yourself."

Mia giggled as she set out bowls and spoons, "_That_ would have been interesting."

"Oh, hush, Mia", Letty said with a glower. "I _hate_ Jane Austen."

"We _know_", Vince said exasperatedly.

Dom chuckled, "Now you don't have to procrastinate."

Alyssa laughed, "I'm the champion procrastinator, I believe. I usually wait until the exact last second to start homework. I just don't have time for extra projects when I dance three days a week, so I have to do them when I get them."

"You dance?" Mia asked interestedly.

"Jazz and hip-hop", Alyssa explained. "Hip-hop _shoes_ are the bomb", she continued.

"You take dance class for the _shoes_?" Vince asked incredulously.

She laughed and shook her head, "Uh-uh", Alyssa refuted, "I dance because it reduces stress, it's good exercise, and it gets me out of the house."

She saw Dom giving her an odd look and gave his shin a sharp kick under the table. "Ouch!" he complained glaring at her. She just rolled her eyes. "That was only two", he said suddenly.

She raised an eyebrow, "That was only two _what_?" she asked.

"You said you dance three days a week and you said Wednesday and Thursday", he finished.

She eyed him momentarily, "And Saturday mornings from nine to eleven-thirty", she explained slowly.

Letty groaned, "You're a morning person? Get out", she teased as she got up and helped Mia pass out bowls of ice cream.

Alyssa laughed, "No, I'm not, actually. If morning started at eleven I would be ecstatic, but I don't sleep much anyway, so I figured I might as well have something to do. I can sleep when I'm dead – or old – whichever comes first", she explained lightly.

Mr. T. chuckled from the other side of the kitchen, "That's an interesting motto."

Alyssa shrugged and stuck her spoon into the pile of ice cream and taking a small bite, "It works for me I guess."

--

Two weeks later, she was just leaving her Saturday morning dance class to head back to her apartment when a familiar car pulled into the parking lot. She walked over to Dom's car and he rolled the passenger window down. She raised her eyebrows at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Get in", he said. Alyssa rolled her eyes but got in, tossing her bag to the floor near her feet.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" she questioned. When he didn't answer her for over a minute she finally prodded, "_Dom_", she complained exasperatedly watching his profile.

His jaw muscle twitched, "Dad knows", he said finally.

"What-" she started to ask for clarification, but then she realized what he meant. She glowered at him angrily, "Toretto, I'm going to kill you", she said furiously.


	3. Chapter 3

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 3**_

--

The summer before she turned sixteen held many changes. Alyssa was now comfortable with her place in the Toretto's house, and she fully enjoyed taking the girls out on shopping sprees every month. The girls had become the sisters that she never had, an older one _and_ a younger one. The men in the house thought they didn't need most of what they bought, but they were guys – what did they know? And between Dominic and Vince, they had bought her at _least_ four pairs of shoes. She thanked them with a kiss on the cheek to piss them off, and then proceeded to wear them around the house unnecessarily.

About eight months after she had moved in, Dom had walked in on her stepping out of the shower _naked_. It had been… awkward. And with the yelling that followed, they were lucky that Mr. T. had left for work already. He had opened the door quickly enough for her to feel the cold draft as she stepped to the bathmat, and turned to see him staring wide-eyed, and she yelled angrily, "_Dominic Toretto, you need to fucking knock!"_

He had stood frozen for a moment, before closing the door and leaning against it, smirking to piss her off. He looked her up and down and gave a wolf whistle.

"_Towel!_" she shrieked indignantly. He threw her pink fluffy towel at her laughing and went back out the door, slamming it behind him. Alyssa let out a yell of frustration and wrapped the towel around herself quickly. She grabbed her lotion bottle and poured some onto her hand, rubbing it into her skin while she planned to get him back.

Five minutes later, still wrapped in her towel, she went back to the room she shared with Mia to get dressed. Mia was sitting on her bed completely read to go, painting her fingernails. She looked over at Alyssa with a raised eyebrow, "Do I even _want_ to know what all the yelling was about?" she asked wryly.

Alyssa glared and shook her head, "Your moron brother just saw me naked", she said darkly.

Mia's eyes went wide and a hand went to her forehead, "_That's_ why he busted my ears with that obnoxious whistle?" she complained in shock.

Alyssa rummaged through a dresser drawer to find her undergarments and slid a pair of red boy-shorts up her legs under her towel before turning around and letting it fall to the floor as she hooked on the matching strapless bra. "Mhm", she muttered finally, "Good thing I'm a hottie, huh?" she joked with a laugh.

"You are aware that you're standing in front of the mirror", Mia pointed out lightly.

Alyssa looked up and caught Mia's eyes in the mirror, "And I just flashed you", she answered with a laugh. "Sorry", she giggled.

"At least now I know what Dom was whistling about", Mia said with a grin.

Alyssa turned around and picked up a ball of socks from the floor and threw them at her, "You know what they say about payback – it's a bitch", she said with an evil grin.

"_Oh_, no", Mia protested, "I know that look and it means trouble. Whatever you're planning is not going to end well."

She raised an eyebrow, "Where's my skirt?" Alyssa asked looking around.

"Which one?" Mia asked warily.

"The khaki-green one with the design on the bottom", she said going towards the closet.

"_The really short one?_" Mia asked wide-eyed.

"Yeah", Alyssa answered, her voice muffled from inside the closet. "It will go really well with my black halter top and the wedges, don't you think?" she asked.

"I think if you try to wear that to school, Dom will make you come right back in here and change your outfit", Mia stated matter-of-factly.

"We'll see", she muttered through the scraping of hangers. "Mia, after school's out, we've _gotta_ reorganize this closet. I can't find a damn thing – _aha_!" she squealed.

"Holy shit, Al, there's not a chance in hell that you'll get to wear that outta the house", Mia said as Alyssa stepped out of the closet a few minutes later, outfit intact.

"Watch me", she said with a half-grin as she sat down at the vanity to finish straightening her hair.

Mia groaned, "I refuse to plan your funeral."

"Sure thing, Baby-cakes", Alyssa teased. "Mia, can I borrow that green necklace?"

Mia rolled her eyes, "I don't know why you even bother to ask. It's not like it would match my _orange_ shirt. _Mi casa es su casa_. Go ahead."

"Thanks", she said clipping it on with a grin. "I have the matching earrings."

"Oh, yeah", Mia said remembering that particular shopping trip. "I'll have to snatch them from you sometime."

"Absolutely", Alyssa said finishing her make-up. "Alright, how do I look?" she questioned, standing up and giving a little twirl.

"Like you're not leaving the house", Mia said dryly.

Alyssa made a pouty face at her, "You're no fun."

Mia rolled her eyes, "You look hot."

"Well, it is May", Alyssa said facetiously.

"Are you going to hide up here until we have to leave?" Mia asked.

"Uh-uh", Alyssa shook her head. "I'm gonna go play with your brother."

"_Eww_", Mia complained, "Could you say that in a way that's _not_ going to make me toss my breakfast?"

Alyssa laughed, "Probably not". She walked to the bedroom door and glanced back at Mia, "Payback's a bitch", she repeated in a sing-song tone as she opened the door and walked down the hall.

"This won't end well", Mia said to herself falling back onto the bed.

--

Alyssa stopped at Dom's closed bedroom door and gave two cursory knocks before stepping inside and shutting the door behind her and leaned against it. Dom looked from his desk to raise an eyebrow at her. She watched the look on his face change as he took in her outfit and she fought the urge to smirk. "Did you want something?" he grumbled after a moment.

"Just wondering if you were planning on making what happened this morning a habit", she stated nonchalantly crossing her arms across her chest.

He stood up, mischief in his eyes as he walked towards her, "And if I was?" he questioned.

"Then I'd have to start charging a fee", she lilted back to him in a teasing voice.

"How much of a fee are we talking?" he growled in her ear as his hands went to rest against the door on either side of her head.

She smirked, "Ten bucks", she said tilting her head to the side and glancing up at him.

He stared down at her curiously, "That almost sounds like a challenge", he said after a moment.

She pushed against his chest and moved him back far enough that she could spin around and get the door opened, "Then you might want to get your ears checked." She tossed over her shoulder as she went down the hall quite happy with herself.

"What are you _wearing_?" she heard finally. She laughed and ignored him. "You're not wearing that!" he yelled.

She turned around to see him but kept walking backwards, "Why?" she teased, "Did you want to borrow my skirt?" When she got to Mia's door, she opened it and went inside. As she was about to shut the door, she yelled back, "We've gotta leave in ten minutes!"

"I hope you realize how ridiculous you two act", Mia said after the door slammed shut.

Alyssa laughed, "Yeah, but it's fun."

"Guys, let's _go_", Vince shouted up the stairs. "I can't be late for homeroom again!"

Alyssa went to the door and flung it open to shout down the stairs, "That's crap Vince; we all know you just want to get your mack on with Heather!"

Mia snickered from behind her, "You're two for two this morning."

"Just how I like it", Alyssa said with a laugh as she shoved her school books in her bag. "Somebody has to keep these morons in line!" she yelled loud enough to be heard by everyone in the household over the roar of an engine as Letty's car pulled up the driveway.

"Enough!" Dom yelled as he went down the stairs. "Downstairs in two minutes or you can walk."

They heard the front door open and shut and Letty's voice trailed up the stairs as she talked to the guys before they heard her footsteps. "Alright", Letty said as she appeared at their doorframe, "Who's got those two all riled up this morning? I know it's Monday, but they're hella cranky."

Mia just pointed at Alyssa. "Traitor", Alyssa muttered as Letty looked her over.

Letty chuckled, "Well, that explains Dom", she said.

"It was payback", Alyssa smirked.

"For what?" Letty asked curiously.

"Oh, you're gonna love this one, Let", Mia said with a grin before Alyssa chucked a pillow at her.

"He walked in on me in the bathroom this morning after I had just gotten out of the shower – and I didn't have my towel yet", Alyssa explained with annoyance. She watched Letty rest her forehead against the doorframe clearly trying not to laugh. "Letty, it's not funny!" Alyssa grumbled. "And that's not even the worst part."

Letty peaked over at her, "Then what happened?" she asked, her voice tinged with laughter.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "He had the guts to look me up and down, _and_ give an indecent wolf whistle, loud enough that _Mia_ heard, before throwing my towel at me!"

"_Priceless!_" Letty managed to choke out between her laughter. "I was wondering how long it would take before something like that happened."

"_What?!_" Alyssa squawked.

"Face it, hun, the guy has no manners", Letty said. "He's used to you now and he's going back to acting like his old obnoxious self."

"Wait", Mia interrupted before Alyssa could comment, "What did you say to him when you went in his room?" Alyssa gave her a smirk.

"What did you do?" Letty questioned with a groan. Alyssa told them and watched the girls fall over themselves with laughter. "Oh, you're _so_ screwed", Letty chuckled.

"Don't I know it", she agreed. Alyssa grabbed her backpack up of the floor, "Let's go before Ren and Stimpy get angry."

They were walking down the stairs when Dom yelled for them, "_Let's go!_"

"We're _coming_, you Neanderthal!" Alyssa shouted back.

When they reached the landing, Letty grabbed her arm, "Wait, what did you do to Vince?"

Alyssa and Mia laughed. They kept walking and Alyssa hissed over her shoulder, "I may have yelled through the house that he wanted to flirt with Heather before homeroom", she said innocently. "But, in my defense, no one would have believed that he was worried about being late anyways."

"You are such a trouble-maker", Letty said with amusement as she pulled the younger girls out the front door behind her, leaving it for Mia to lock.

Alyssa turned enough to give Letty a discreet wink and ran down the porch steps, bypassing Vince on the way to Dom's car that they were standing impatiently next to, "Shot gun!" she yelled and dove for the front passenger door.

"Oh, dear god", she heard Letty mutter from the porch.

"Do we _have_ to do this every morning?" Dom asked under his breath as Alyssa dodged under Vince's outstretched arm.

Vince finally caught her around the waist as she tried to get in the door and wrestled her down the driveway while she shrieked. "_Letty, help me, would you!_" she demanded with a screech as he hoisted her over his shoulder.

"You started it, you finish it", Letty hollered back as Vince threw Alyssa over his shoulder and just carried her.

"He's gonna try and put me in your trunk – _again!_" she pleaded smacking at his back. She got a look at the three still in the driveway. Mia was laughing, Letty's face was amused, and Dom just looked pissed. "You guys _suck_!" she finished with a yell as Vince slapped her ass. "_Hey!_"

"Stop yelling in my ear", he complained.

"Then put me _down_", she whined as she was tossed into the backseat of Letty's car.

"Stay", he demanded.

"Bastard", she grumbled at him as she tried in vain to straighten her skirt.

"Pain in the ass", he returned before slamming the door. "Alright, let's roll!" he yelled to the others.

Alyssa looked out the window and noticed that Mia had her bag that had been dropped in the struggle and didn't bother to get out of the car. Mia and Letty climbed into the car as Dom tore out of the driveway with Vince in the front seat. "Here", Mia said, tossing Alyssa's backpack to her with a smirk that rivaled her brother's.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "Thanks so much."

"_What_ was the point of that?" Letty asked exasperatedly as she eyed her through the rear view mirror.

Alyssa slid her head in between the front seats with a grin. "He was pissed at me this morning", she said lightly.

"So you decided to make it worse?" Letty said skeptically as she roared her car to life and headed in the direction of the junior high to drop Mia off before they went to the high school.

"No", Alyssa rebutted. "I made him feel like he just got one over on me. His retaliations at school are _awful_, so I gave him a way to do it before we left. And unless Dom explains to him what I just did – out of spite – everything should be fine, and I won't have to worry about finding any more pickles wearing condoms inside my locker again", she finished with a shudder.

"When did that happen?" Mia demanded turning around in her seat as Letty laughed, clearly remembering the incident.

"Last month", Letty explained. "He was being his usual jackass self", she said with affection, "while we were in the garage – and he said something about Trevor in front of Dom and that she needed to get laid because she was acting like a bitch."

Mia winced, "What a dumbass."

"He knows better than to throw the word bitch at me in that kind of conversation", Alyssa said glowering.

"Yeah", Letty continued with anger tingeing her voice. "Not to mention that _that_ was the same day that Trevor made it perfectly clear that he just wanted to get into her pants."

"Ouch", Mia said with a cringe, "Rough day."

"Which was why I was acting like a bitch! So I nice explained to Vince _exactly_ where he could go and kicked him in the shin", Alyssa said tightly.

"Then she walked out – it was a perfect exit, and Dom made Vince finish the car she was working on", Letty smirked. "That was Friday. On Monday, she went back to her locker after lunch and found _pickled condoms_! She yelled so loud the whole floor heard her. Dom barely stopped her from chasing Vince into the guys' restroom – she was threatening to give him a swirly. At the end of the day, she sneaked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. She snapped one of the pickles in half right in front of his face and threw the condom at him", Letty giggled as they turned onto the street for Mia's school. "She just said, 'I wouldn't try reusing that', and dragged me out the door!"

"Ugh", Mia complained with a laugh, "I can't believe I'm missing you guys getting into trouble while I'm stuck at this school!"

"I was so mad at him!" Alyssa said.

"You know he wouldn't have done it if he had known what happened with Trevor", Letty pointed out.

"I _know_", she grumbled. "The apology was worth it though", she said with a smirk.

"Yeah, you never told me what happened", Letty said sending her a glare. "Who told him what happened?"

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "_Jeff_, you know, from the varsity football team, that moron told Dom – and Dom threw a shit fit."

Letty tossed her head back and laughed as she pulled into the parking lot, "Ooh, _busted!_"

"Yeah", she agreed. "I _so_ made Vince grovel, though", she grinned.

"_That's_ why he spent three days doing your chores?" Mia asked incredulously. "I bow to the Mistress of Manipulation", she conceded.

"Why thank you", Alyssa grinned.

"And Vince still cringes when someone mentions pickles", Letty added.

"And then I yelled at Dom when I heard he threatened to punch Trevor's teeth through the back of his head if he came near me again", Alyssa admitted. "It was nice, I guess, but I told him that I could handle myself, and that if I needed his help, he would hear it from me."

Mia climbed out of the car and raised an eyebrow at her as she grabbed her bag, "I've said it before and I'll say it again, _you guys act so weird_."

"Yeah, well, it works for us so far", she said with a shrug as she tossed her book bag onto the floor of the front seat and climbed through the space between the seats to fall into the front passenger seat, managing to ram her knee against Letty's shoulder in the process.

Letty shoved her shoulder in retaliation, "Damn it, I hate when you do that. Use the goddamn door", she said with annoyance.

"It's faster this way", Alyssa retorted.

"And more painful for me", Letty grumbled. "Do us all a favor and don't bend over today", she advised seriously, pointing at Alyssa's skirt.

Alyssa slapped a hand to her forehead, "_Oh, shit._"

Mia rolled her eyes, "See you guys later", she waved. They said goodbye and Mia pushed the door shut and they pulled back onto the street.

They drove quietly for a moment before Letty spoke, "She's got a point, you know", she said softly.

Alyssa turned to look at Letty in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Just that you two might be good together", she said nonchalantly.

"Are you on crack?!" Alyssa demanded. "Seriously, Letty, what kind of crazy idea is that?"

Letty gave her a look out of the corner of her eye, "It's really not a crazy idea."

"Yes it is", Alyssa insisted, "We're not like that at all. It's just… we're weird. He doesn't treat me the same way he does you and Mia. Mia gets the sister card, and you've know him your whole life, so you're like an _almost_ sister/best friend. Me… I'm just somewhere in the middle. Not to mention the fact that we are _too_ alike sometimes."

Letty pulled into a parking spot outside of the high school and parked the car. "And that's _exactly_ why I think you two might be good together", she said pointedly.

They got out of the car and headed towards the entrance. Alyssa looked to the middle of the courtyard and laughed. She pointed Letty in the direction she was looking, "And _that_ is exactly why I know he's not interested. The only thing he currently is interested in is everything attached to Johanna Peters' tongue."

"Ugh", Letty complained, "That's disgusting."

Alyssa just smirked, "Let's go bother him."

Letty allowed herself to be pulled across the grassy lawn, "You enjoy pissing him off, don't you?" she accused.

"A little bit", Alyssa admitted with a laugh. "But he has a high tolerance for me, despite how he acts. Like this morning – he wasn't really mad. He has a look", she explained, "And when I finally get it, _then_ I hide under Mia's bed."

"Bitch, you are playing with fire", Letty commented.

"You know, he doesn't seem to _really_ be enjoying himself, does he?" Alyssa asked with amusement as they stopped about twenty feet away from the pair. "And as a _friend_", she continued, not waiting for answer, "I should probably go help him out of his… _predicament_."

"When he goes after you, don't use me as a human shield", Letty said sternly.

"No promises", Alyssa replied as they stopped less than five feet away. Letty took a step back, making a grand gesture. Alyssa rolled her eyes, "Chicken", she muttered.

"Self-preservation", Letty hissed back.

Alyssa cleared her throat loudly, startling the pair, and she tried not to laugh as they untangled themselves. "You do realize that you were exactly two gropes away from a PDA fine", she said to no one in particular.

Dom rolled his eyes while Johanna huffed, sweeping her long curly blonde hair over her shoulder. "What do you want?" Dom questioned.

"A pony, a million dollars, not to have to take finals – the usual", Alyssa said counting off on her fingers before crossing her arms over her chest.

Dom looked around her, eyes flashing with real annoyance, "Letty, why didn't you make her change?" he demanded.

"'Cause I'm not her babysitter", she said dryly. "She can dress herself by now, Dom."

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

Alyssa assumed he meant her, seeing as her eyes were closed as she tilted her head up towards the sun rays. She peaked an eye open to see that he was giving her a look, and Johanna was glaring at Dom. "Just basking in the presence of the Almighty Toretto", she said blandly. "My day just isn't quite right without seeing you with your tongue down a cheerleader's throat and partaking in our usual witty banter." She heard Letty choke back a laugh behind her and continued, "And as for my outfit", she paused for dramatic effect, "you've seen me in far less." Then she whirled around, pulling Letty along with her towards the steps.

They heard Johanna's annoyed voice complaining and could barely contain their laughter. Letty glanced back over their shoulders, "Oh, he just shook her off", she warned. "He's gonna get you. Seriously, either we walk faster or you let go of my arm", Letty hissed as Alyssa felt arms wrap around her waist and she was pulled against Dom's hard chest.

"You little bitch", Dom said, laughing quietly in her ear. "I can't believe you did that."

Alyssa tilted her head upwards to look at him and chuckled. She let go of Letty's arm and gave her a nod that she could leave. Letty crossed her eyes at her and left before anything else could be said. Alyssa turned around in his arms and shook her head as she took a swipe at his mouth, "And I can't believe that you're wearing lip gloss", she snickered as she wiped it off. "Peach is definitely not your color."

He rolled his eyes and fought off a grin, "So are we even now?"

"I suppose so", Alyssa agreed slowly, "For now anyways."

He nodded amusedly, "Alright, let's get to class", he said pulling her under his arm and led them to their only shared class - Spanish.


	4. Chapter 4

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 4**_

--

_Present time:_

When Alyssa finally decided to go to bed, she was met with nervous glances, "What?" she demanded.

Brian nudged Mia twice before she opened her mouth apologetically, "The spare room is on the third floor."

"And?" Alyssa prompted.

"The only other bedroom on that floor is Dom and Letty's", she said with a wince. "And you'll have to share the bathroom", Mia finished looking nervous.

"Fabulous", Alyssa groaned. "This is gonna be super fun."

Mia took her upstairs and Alyssa stopped her from apologizing further, knowing the situation couldn't be helped. Mia left her alone after a few moments, and a warning not to try climbing out the window – did she _look_ fifteen? – to get comfortable. The room was beautiful; it had light blue carpeting with cream colored walls, and a queen-sized bed that had a white comforter covered in tiny blue flowers and at least six pillows with matching cases. The bedroom set was a stained to match the floors downstairs.

Alyssa looked to see a digital clock on the end table and let out a whine at the time. It was after one in the morning. She quickly dug her toiletry case from her suitcase and made her way to the bathroom, hoping she would be done before Letty forced Dom back in the house.

She scrubbed the make-up off of her face with her face wash, brushed her teeth, and went back to her room to change into a green tank top and green and purple flannel pajama pants before turning off the light and falling into what was a _very_ comfortable bed. She set the alarm on her phone just in case she didn't wake up and tried to fall asleep, but her thoughts plagued her. She retrieved memories of the past, hoping to find some sort of clue that would help her now…

_The men in her life had always looked out for her, and she appreciated the variety of roles they played. When she had moved into the Toretto's house Leon and Jesse were the guys that she played video games with to unwind after a long day, just they're presence had a calming affect that she desperately needed. Vince, not yet sick of her – though he still called her Ankle-biter on occasion – became her protector, and listened to her vent when Dominic had pissed her off. _

_Dom had quickly become her best friend, protector, and something like an older brother. The fact that they spent a lot of time together also meant they engaged in epic fights at least once a month involving a lot of shouting. Their fights, when they were over, amused them to no end, because in reality they were usually about nothing important – and they usually ended up collapsed in laughter on his or her bed, but usually his. He complained on a regular basis that she no longer had a nervous bone in her body, which made her grin and flip him off. She had never been afraid of him, which drove him nuts, but was helpful when she needed to get him to stop acting like a giant asshole._

_Brian hadn't come into the picture until she had turned twenty-two – and he was there long enough to turn everyone's lives upside down. If Dom hadn't told her to leave when he did, she would have been on the run with the rest of them. She had watched the news reports from her new apartment's television in horror. It had taken her a few days to process what had happened and to recognize why Dominic had sent her off when he had – the bad premonition being enough for him to do what had been necessary, including hurting her._

_She had called her brother who had moved to Miami with his wife the year before, and began to rack up frequent flier miles every weekend as she flew back and forth from San Diego. While the Toretto name was famous – or infamous, depending on how you looked at it – her brother was just as well known in Miami, even if he did have a work alias._

_Shortly after leaving Los Angeles, Alyssa had stumbled across some of his paperwork once during a visit and had been curious, so she followed him when he left that night. He had been beyond angry the next day when he found out what had happened – and even more furious when she pointed out that he should have known that he was being followed. So after making her promise to keep her mouth shut, he told her the facts. He ran cars and drivers for a very dangerous person. And what was in those cars at any point in time was absolutely none of her fucking business. She had been about to turn twenty-three at the time and cocky as hell, smirking and saying, "We'll see"._

_Her sister-in-law, over-hearing the conversation, took her out one evening, under the guise of a 'Girls Night', and ended up at a garage. Rachel took her over to a dark blue two-door Bugatti and threw a key at her. "Get in", she commanded as she slid into the passenger side, "Drive, I need to know if it's worth it." _

_Alyssa didn't question her, mostly because her tone had been completely scary, and began to drive. Rachel was the scariest driving instructor she had ever seen – and it was completely unexpected coming from such a tiny woman who was only four years older than her. They drove through the city, on the highway, and sped down dirt roads for two hours until they went back to the garage. Rachel took her home and that had been the end of it._

_Two months later, John took her out for another night of driving; when they finally got back home, he told her that she could train with Rachel. She spent her weekends in Miami learning the finer points of get-away driving. Dom had taught her to drive, but it hadn't been quite like this. _

_In April, four months after she turned twenty-three, she got a text from her brother while she was at work. 'I need you for two weeks. You have two days to get down here.' She had sighed at his lack of an explanation, wondering why nobody thought it was important to fill her in ahead of time, but she got on the phone immediately. After some haggling, she split her shifts for the next two week between her co-workers, Rita and Donna, and had booked herself a flight for the next morning._

_She landed in Miami around one o'clock in the afternoon and caught a taxi to her brother's beach house where he conducted his business. She had changed her comfortable outfit at the airport for a dark blue halter top that she wore with a white pants suit and a matching pair of pumps, knowing full well she was here to do business, and pulling her hair in a low ponytail to rest over her shoulder._

_When she got to the door, she rang the doorbell twice to let him know who it was before unlocking the door with her own key and stepping into the house. Alyssa followed a long hallway to her brother's office and walked in without knocking and took a seat across from him at his desk. "What do you have?" she asked flatly._

_He finished with a file on the computer before answering her, "It's not what as much as whom", he said finally, using a purposefully distracted tone._

_She scrunched her eyebrows unprofessionally, "You're into kidnapping now?" she questioned lightly._

"_I need you to have a chat with one of my drivers", he said ignoring her question._

"_Why me?" she wondered slightly curious. "Usually Rachel handles the drivers."_

_He tossed a folder across the table to her, "Because this is your mess", he said, "So you're going to fix it."_

_She had rolled her eyes, but stopped when she opened the file and saw a familiar picture, "Dammit to hell", she grumbled. "Has he driven yet?"_

"_Twice", John answered. "He's good, but after the background check came in, I realized we might have a problem. You know him; go find out what he's doing here." It wasn't a question._

_She sighed in annoyance, "Are you going to question my methods when I'm done?" she asked tartly._

"_Are you going to shoot him on the beach?" her brother countered standing up._

_She followed his lead, picking at a fingernail idly, "Is that where he is now?" she wondered boredly._

_John sighed, "You want the gun?"_

"_I won't need it; not for him", Alyssa said, "But I'd rather be safe than sorry, in any case."_

_He nodded and opened a wall panel hiding the safe and unlocked it and pulled out her Beretta U22 and a pile of bills. "Do what you need to do, but try not to make a mess", he said taking an indulgent tone as he walked towards her._

_She took the gun from his hand, double-checking the safety lock before tucking the gun against her back, hiding it under her jacket. "I don't plan on killing him, John", she said evenly. "And I hardly think bribery will be necessary", she said with a laugh as she plucked the money from his other hand and hid it in her medium sized white and gold purse along with the folder. "I don't know how long I'll be there, but I'll call you when I'm on my way back. Don't wait up", she said over her shoulder as she started towards the office door._

_He sighed, "Be careful", he warned._

"_Always am", she called as she left. Alyssa walked out of the house, heading towards the trail that led down to South Beach. It was about a twenty minute walk from the house, but she welcomed the time to clear her head. 'What the hell was he doing here?' she wondered, silently fuming. He couldn't have possibly known what he was getting into… could he? She wondered absently, and didn't realize that she had arrived at the path and been following it for quite some time until she heard the familiar noises of the beach._

_Alyssa spent the last few minutes walking down the path, putting herself into her business mindset. She took her shoes off once she stepped onto the beach carrying them by the ankle straps, loving the feel of the hot sand on her feet, and walked to her favorite Tiki Bar. It was set high on the beach, in no danger of high tide, and had shrubs behind it and a leafy palm tree nearby, offering privacy and shade. _

_When she saw the man sitting on the barstool she inhaled sharply. Alyssa had been hoping that maybe it hadn't really been him – or that he would come to his senses and not have shown up – but it was. His blonde hair was shorter, and he had on a Hawaiian-styled shirt and long khaki shorts with tennis shoes – no doubt prepared for running – but it was him. She slid herself onto a stool, keeping one between him, seeing as she really felt like hitting him for various reasons. He didn't look up, obviously not expecting that company was for him._

"_Hey, Traitor", she said, loud enough for him to know she was talking to him. "Wanna order me a drink?"_

_He looked up, clearly startled, "What are you doing here?"_

_She glared at him before turning to the man behind the bar, "Enrique, I'll have a Pina Colada, please", she said as she pulled the tie from her hair raking a hand through it. She turned to Brian, "I'll deal with you in a minute", she warned._

_Enrique slid the drink in front of her, "Anything else I can do for you, Lucky?" he asked using an overly-polite tone._

_She cocked an eyebrow, "You got anything behind the counter for my brother?" she asked. Noticing the Hispanic man's glance to Brian who was watching the exchange with curiosity, she snorted, "Don't worry about the Buster", she said with a laugh, "He thinks he knows me."_

"_And he doesn't know how dangerous you are?" Enrique teased, cocking his head at her._

_She turned to Brian, wanting to see his expression. "He should", she said lightly, "He works for me." She smirked at the surprised look on his face. _

_Enrique laughed, "Well, in that case", he said pulling out a locked box, "I've got an envelope for you." He pulled a chain from his neck and used the key on it to turn the lock. He pulled out an envelope and passed it to her discreetly. His expression was nervous – she had been known to shoot the messenger._

_She opened it enough to count the money inside quickly before resealing it and shoving it inside her already full purse. "It's all there", she said calmly. "Thanks."_

_Enrique breathed a sigh of relief, "Good."_

"_Would someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Brian questioned, clearly frustrated. "What do you mean I work for you?"_

_She looked over at him, giving a steely glare, "Come on", she said. "We are going back to your place; we need to talk." Alyssa got up and began walking back towards the path, not bothering to turn around to make sure he was following her. She slid her shoes back on reluctantly, "Not a word until we get to your place", she said seriously._

_Alyssa mostly ignored him as she led them to his tiny rented house, not missing the look on his face when he realized that she really did know where he lived. When they got up to the door, she motioned for him to unlock it, but he just smirked and turned the handle. "Amateur", she muttered as she stepped into the house. She heard him laugh quietly as he flicked a light on unnecessarily – the sunlight was pouring through the living room and kitchen windows._

_She took a quick look around the sparsely decorated house. Everything was white. The walls, the counters, the floors – it was all white. There was a blue, beat up looking couch against a far wall that was facing a television on a stand, but those were the only objects in the living room. In the kitchen sat a rickety looking breakfast table tucked in a corner across from the fridge. A microwave took up most of the counter space near the stove. She sighed inwardly. She would bet a lot of money that his bedroom held little more than a mattress and a tiny dresser – with an even tinier closet. At least everything looked clean._

"_Corona?" he asked as he rummaged through the fridge._

"_Sure", she said taking a seat at the table. "Why are you still here?" she asked._

_His eyebrows were furrowed as he held the bottle out for her to take and took a seat, "Umm… this is my house?" _

"_No", she said seriously. "Why are you still in Miami?" she questioned. "I know you helped the Feds catch Carter Verone." She through her bottle cap at him in annoyance, "What the hell were you thinking?" she complained. "That guy was the meanest son of a bitch I've ever met", she said in exasperation._

"_What do you mean, 'you met him'?" Brian demanded._

_Alyssa gave him a calculating look, "It was about a month before you got to Miami. It was accidental", she said with a shrug. She took a drink from her bottle. "Do you know what you've been transporting in the back of your car?" she asked to change the subject._

_His eyes widened slightly before narrowing again, "You weren't just fucking with me when you said I was working for you", he said in surprise. "How is that even possible?"_

_She shrugged again, not yet willing to give up her information, "How is it possible that you turned down the offer to go back to work at the LAPD?" she returned._

"_How did you know about that?" he asked wearily scrubbing a hand over his face._

_She tugged the folder out of her purse and tossed it on the table, nodding for him to look at it. She smirked, "I was fucking with you earlier, but only a little bit. You work for my brother, John." He looked at her with disbelief covering his face. "Answer my question", she said quietly. "Why didn't you go back?"_

_His face went blank, "How could I have?"_

"_Dom?" she questioned quietly._

_He nodded. "Do you know where they all went?" he asked._

"_I'm supposed to believe you care?" she asked dully. He stared at her until she rolled her eyes and leaned back against her chair. "After Dom told me to leave, he took off", she said in a flat tone. "Before I left, I went to Mia's room and left her my cell phone number in her notebook. I left her a note, telling her to call me if there was an emergency. I was in San Diego in my new apartment when I watched everything on the news", she stopped to glare at Brian. "A few weeks later Mia called to tell me that Vince and Jesse were going to be fine, and that Leon and Letty had taken off, but she didn't know where they were going. She thought maybe Dom would go find them when he took off with your car, but she hadn't heard from him by the time she called me. That was all she said before she hung up, and I haven't talked to her since."_

_He sighed, "Thanks, I guess. I was hoping they would get away before the police came after them, but after I let Dom go, I wasn't allowed to have access to any info on that case – and there was a warrant for my arrest, so I couldn't even go back to the office."_

"_Poor baby", she said sarcastically._

_He glared at her, "What's your problem? I did nothing to you! You weren't even there when everything went down."_

"_Well that answers my first question", she muttered. "You are as dumb as you look."_

"_Alright", he bit out, "Let's finish this bullshit." He stood up and moved away from the table to fold his arms across his chest while he stared at her._

_She stood up and pulled her gun out carelessly, "You know", she said thoughtfully, "I only promised my brother I wouldn't kill you on the beach."_

_He rolled his eyes, "Al, you're not gonna shoot me", he said boredly._

_She gave him a wry smile, "No, I'm not, but I am insanely pissed at you", she returned. She put the gun on the table, "So, considering the fact that my anger management sessions aren't working so well, I'll leave this out of reach", she said. "I don't have any other weapons", she continued, "So let's have this out and get it over with." He nodded once, jaw tightening. "Don't believe me? Want to do a search?" she teased holding her arms out to the side. "You were trained for it after all."_

"_It was my job!" he yelled finally. "What the fuck was I supposed to do?"_

"_I don't know!" she cried, flinging her arms in exasperation. "The only thing I know is that you broke up the only real family I've ever had! What do you want me to say? Thank you? Well, fuck you!"_

"_You want to keep calling them your family?" he retorted. "You left them first! No wonder you have no clue where they are! I did my job, what's your excuse?"_

_She slapped him across the face, "You arrogant bastard!" she hissed. "You think you know everything, don't you? Well, newsflash, you know absolutely nothing." _

"_Well, why don't you tell me what the hell is going on then", he demanded. "Why did Enrique call you 'Lucky'?"_

_She rolled her eyes and snorted, "Oh, please" she said, "You don't really think that we all go into this using our real names, do you?"_

_He shook his head in exasperation, "What's your name?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow._

_Alyssa smirked, holding her hand out, "Lucky Davenport, at you service."_

_He reeled back slightly, before playing it out. After he dropped her hand, he looked at her in shock, "Uh – what? A couple other drivers said you were some crazy bitch."_

_She laughed lightly, "Well, I usually don't deal with the drivers", she admitted, "My brother's wife usually takes care of that part. I'm only in Miami on the weekends. But a few of them got cocky with me… it wasn't pretty. I broke a guy's nose a few months back."_

_Brian stared at her for a moment before changing the subject abruptly, "So, how pissed are you at me right now?" he wondered._

_She sighed, "I am angry at you. But at the same time, I think we all did what we thought we had to do at the time", she said quietly._

"_Whether you believe me or not, I am sorry", he said._

_She nodded, "I know." She went to take a seat on the couch, "I'm sorry for threatening to kill you", she said with a light laugh._

"_It's alright", he laughed as he sat down next to her, "You'll probably end up doing it again."_

_Alyssa snorted, "Yeah, that's likely", she admitted. "I need to know why you're doing this, Brian", she said seriously. "I know you're not undercover."_

_His jaw tightened, "I need the money", he said matter-of-factly._

"_For what?" she asked incredulously. "Driving for my brother on a regular basis… Brian, that adds up to be a lot of money."_

_He nodded, "I know. Look, I just have this feeling – someday this will all be over, and we're gonna need the money."_

"_Shit, Brian", she hissed. "You know we can't go back. None of us can."_

_He raised a pointed eyebrow at her, "Then what are you trying to do?"_

"_Making a choice", she said softly. She cleared her throat lightly, "Tomorrow night we'll go talk to my brother", she said smacking his thigh. "But tonight, we're gonna go get drunk."_

_Brian gave her a wary look, "Should I be worried?"_

_She smirked, "Absolutely."_


	5. Chapter 5

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.** A/N: **Yes, I _**know**_ that this car just came out recently – it's called artistic license, and I'm using it (I'm putting the link up on my profile). And I'm aware I'm screwing up the timeline of the originals. Otherwise, they would be older – and I didn't want to. So no one gets to complain about it to me, thanks. Reviews would be nice by the way – all of you who favorited… hint hint.

_**Chapter 5**_

--

Alyssa woke up to the running water from the shower the next morning, she sighed, "That would be Letty", she mumbled into her pillow. It was ironic – some things never changed. Even when they were kids and had sleepovers, Letty always was awake the latest, and the first to get up in the mornings. And Letty was less of a morning person than she was – she just didn't need much sleep. Mia was always happy when she woke up in the morning, which was odd, because she was usually awakened by Alyssa and Letty pouncing on her to tickle her.

She crawled reluctantly from the warm covers and searches for something comfortable to wear after her shower. At least Letty wouldn't use all the hot water – morning person, she was not, but she was thoughtful. Alyssa had all her things in a small pile at the end of the bed and sat down next to it before purposefully falling back to let her head land back on the fluffy pillow. A few short minutes later, the shower had stopped and she heard footsteps tromping down the stairs being followed by the sound of the back door slamming.

Two seconds later, she heard music blaring from the next room. She sat up abruptly at the sound, growling, "Oh, _hell no_." She wrenched open her bedroom door, the blast of music hitting her ears. _He did it on purpose._ She pushed her way through the other door that was half-opened without knocking.

He was standing there, facing the door, watching it like a hawk – waiting for her, she glowered, "That's _my_ cd", she called loud enough to be heard over the _Metallica_ cd – Dom had only tolerated that cd in the best of times.

"You left it in my cd player", he said rolling his eyes. She _had_ done that – and turned the volume all the way up – as her final act of rebellion. "That makes it mine."

She shook her head, "We're not teenagers anymore – we should start acting like adults." She frowned, pointing a finger, "Don't interrupt my shower or I'll _castrate_ you", she said seriously before twirling out the door. Less than a minute later, she was in the shower, scrubbing shampoo into her hair while contemplating the best way to drive Dominic Toretto insane.

--

After her shower, she dried her hair and changed into a grey Led Zeppelin t-shirt and black spandex shorts and headed down to the kitchen to make breakfast. She searched the kitchen for the things she wanted, and after a while everyone came trailing down to the smell of breakfast.

"Damn, I've missed your breakfasts", she heard Vince say as he came over to where she was standing n front of the stove.

She half-heartedly smacked at his hand with the flat side of the spatula as he tried to steal bacon, "Dammit, Vince, wait a minute", she complained good-naturedly. "It's almost done."

"I'm _hungry_", he complained.

"You're always hungry", she stated easily.

"Oh, my god, _food_", Leon said in shock as he walked in the kitchen. She rolled her eyes.

"Not just food, it's _pancakes_", Mia said reverently with Brian behind her.

"Holy crap", he said, mouth dropping open.

"Dude, they're _chocolate chip_!" Jesse said as he bounced it to the room behind them.

Alyssa flipped the last batch of pancakes onto the plate that was already stacked high. "Someone go get Dom and Letty", she said. "And would all of you stop acting like you don't get fed around here!" she demanded. "I know Mia cooks."

"I'm on it", Brian said taking off out the back door.

"Mia won't make us breakfast anymore", Vince complained softly in her ear. "She said we needed to learn to 'fend for ourselves' in the mornings." He gave an exaggerated shudder.

She smirked, slapping his hand as he tried to discreetly reach around her for the bacon again, "Wait until we all sit down, or I'll tell Dom you started eating first", she scolded. He grumbled something about Nazis in the kitchen as he walked towards the table and she stifled a laugh. "Someone _besides_ Vince, help me put all this on the table, please", she asked.

"I suck at breakfasts in any case", Mia said nonchalantly. It was true. Mia could do nearly anything in the kitchen besides breakfast foods. When Mia was fourteen, she set the toaster on fire trying to heat up pop tarts. Dom had run for the fire extinguisher and taken care of it quickly, and after the fact, Alyssa had been nearly rolling on the kitchen floor laughing and when she told him what had happened he ended up joining her while Mia had pouted.

The scrambled eggs, pancakes, and bacon were all set on the table in less than thirty seconds and everyone made their way back to the kitchen to either get coffee or juice – because she absolutely refuses to do that. If she made breakfast they could get their own damn drinks.

They were all heading back to the table, drinks in hand, when Brian came back in with Dom and Letty. "Damn, girl", Letty said grinning, "Breakfast food!"

"Go get drinks, guys", Alyssa said, "Nobody likes cold food."

After a moment, they were all seated, and Vince, who hadn't been properly chastised _before_, grabbed a slice of bacon and shoved it in his mouth and had to say grace. Alyssa snickered as he glowered at her. It was unusually quiet while everyone ate, but she still enjoyed the companionship she had been missing, and she figured it had more to do with the novelty of something besides cereal or toast for breakfast than anything else. Breakfast was her thing, but she would gladly hand the kitchen back to Mia for dinner.

She conned the men into cleaning up the kitchen – all they really had to do was put the dishes in the dish washer and turn it on because there were never leftovers – and went upstairs to call her friend Kayla. She had sent her a text the night before, but had wanted to let her friend know that she was alright. She chatted for about twenty minutes before hanging up and listening for the silence.

She grabbed a shimmery dark blue nail polish and walked down both sets of stairs, through the kitchen – which looked passably clean, and out to the back porch. She sat in a surprisingly comfortable wooden rocking chair and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest and set about painting her toenails.

It was only a little after ten, but it already felt like the temperature was in the high seventies, and she tied her hair in a knot to keep it out of her face. Twenty minutes, and two coats of nail polish later, her toenails were a dark midnight blue and nearly dry. She was looking around the backyard absently. There wasn't really much of anything to look at. There was a large, leafy tree half-way between the house and a large garage, and a smaller one that sat directly to her left near the porch, and that was it except for a beat up looking shed to the left of the barn that was in dire need of a paint job. The yard had sparse patches of grass, but it was mostly dirt. She could hear voices drifting up to her from the garage where she figured everyone was, and had to smile at the familiar-ness of it all.

She watched as Brian walked up the path sedately, obviously looking for her, and when he finally climbed the steps of the porch to tower over her, the look on his face was plain mischievous. "You wanna come down to the garage to look around?" he asked cocking an eyebrow.

She tilted her head knowingly, "Uh, I think I'm gonna have to pass", she said nonchalantly. "My toes aren't dry yet." She stretched her leg in his direction to watch her nails glitter in the sunlight.

He grabbed her ankle, "Someone's got their diva panties in a twist", he teased, "Like you actually care about your damn nail polish."

She kicked her foot loose from his grip and stood up challengingly, "You'd better take that back", she said.

"What are you gonna do if I don't?" he asked with a laugh. He took off running as she chased him down the stairs and half-way down the yard before she forced them both to the ground with a solid tackle.

"Ow, damn, Lucky! You're not supposed to try to kill me!" Brian complained from underneath her.

She laughed until she realized what he said, and her eyes turned hard as she noticed Dom walking up the path looking at them curiously. "You'd better watch what you say in mixed company", she growled dangerously, her hands pinning his shoulders to the ground.

He grabbed her forearms to push her off, but she countered by wrapping her legs around his, and only managed to end up underneath him. "I hope you realize that it won't be mixed company for long", he said with a glare.

"What", she taunted, "You think you can _tell them_ and get away with it? It doesn't work that way and you know it. And, FYI, you're still under contract", she said, her eyes were deadly as she looked up at him.

"You know, maybe, _maybe_, not everything revolves around you!" he spat angrily. "Did you ever stop to think about that?"

She got a hand free to slap him. "_First_", she said dangerously, ignoring Dom's shout for the both of them to knock it off, "you absolutely do _not_ get to talk to me like I'm some stupid stuck-up bitch. _Secondly_", she finished as the footsteps got within hearing distance, "I am _not_ naive enough to think that everything revolves around me, but everything regarding _this_ does."

Dom grabbed Brian off of her then, "_What the hell is going on?_" he roared. They both ignored him, barely flinching – even though he was using his 'I'm gonna kill someone' voice.

"I know it does!" Brian shouted. "Every single thing does! _Why the fuck do you think you're here?_"

She walked the few steps between them, shaking with barely suppressed rage. "Al, _back off_", Dom commanded.

Brian just shook his head, "It's fine", he said, "She doesn't have her gun on her."

Dom got in between them then, still holding her off, "You want to explain that one?" he said seriously.

"It's in the safe", she said nonchalantly.

"You _brought_ it?" Brian said in shock.

She smirked, "Permit".

He rolled her eyes, "I'm gonna have to take it while you're asleep, won't I?" he asked in a resigned tone.

"You think you know me so well that I haven't changed the code from the last time?" she said.

"Seeing as I knew what it was", he said, continuing carefully as she glared, "I'm going to bet it's still the same."

She took a step closer, "You'd better hope for your sake that you can keep you giant mouth shut", she hissed.

"Are you going to finish that threat?" he asked darkly, making a pointed glance to Dom.

"_What are you doing?"_ Dom demanded in exasperation, clearly pissed at being ignored by both of them.

Alyssa wrenched her arm away from his tight grip, "_My job_", she spat. "Either you do _your_ job", she said to Brian, "or I'm going to have to do mine and make an unpleasant phone call", she said with a grimace.

"You don't think he'd actually come down here, do you?" Brian asked seriously.

"Honestly", Alyssa said with a frown, "He's closer than you'd think right now. But to be frank, he'd probably just give the okay."

He stared at her in disbelief, "You're insane."

"It's business", she said quietly. "And despite what you've heard, I don't make rash decisions."

"I want you to listen to all of the facts before doing something you'll regret later", Brian said calmly.

She nodded once, "Don't do anything stupid", she pleaded before walking back towards the house.

"I'm pretty sure we're way past stupid", he called. She flicked him off. "Hey!" he yelled. She turned before she got to the stairs, "That's the second time", he said pointedly. "Do it again and we'll have issues."

She smirked, "We've already got issues, Blondie."

"What the hell was that about?" she heard Dom demand.

Brian snorted, "Dom, she was _puma angry_. I'm not gonna piss her off right now."

"If you don't want to piss me off, Brian, you shouldn't compare me to an annoying cat that you know I detest!" Alyssa yelled as she went back into the kitchen to go upstairs.

"If the claws fit!" he yelled back.

"Brian, I'll deal with her, tell me what you two were fighting about", Dom said in a low tone.

"Look, Dom, I ran into her when I was in Miami. We've been in some dangerous stuff, but I can't say more than that. Once you tell her what's going on, she'll probably stop hissing like a cat about it, and we can talk about it without her threatening to kill me – again", he finished wryly.

Dom's eyebrows went up, "Wanna run that by me again?"

Brian waived it off, "She had her gun then, and she was being a tease about it."

Dom looked slightly shell-shocked. He closed his eyes, "I'm gonna go talk to her."

"Dom, that's not a good idea right now", Brian warned.

"No", Dom said decisively, "she and I have to have it out anyways, and if she's gonna pull this shit, then I've got to straighten her out."

Brian groaned, "If you go in there like that, she'll have you for breakfast. Tell her", he said, "She needs to know, now."

He glowered, "Is there something you should be saying to me?" he asked pointedly.

"Uh… thank you?" Brian stated confusedly.

Dom rolled his eyes, "That wasn't what I was talking about." He stalked off towards the house determinedly.

Brian watched as Dom froze, whirled around, and marched back to Brian, "If this has something to do with cops, tell me right now", he said in a low tone.

Despite the fact that Dom was beyond pissed, Brian doubled over in laughter, "I swear to you", he said through his laughter, "Even the cops won't go near this one."

Dom pinched the bridge of his nose, "What are the chances that I'm going to find this as funny as you are right now when I actually know what the hell is going on?"

"_Very little_", he said, still laughing.

Dom rolled his eyes with a groan and stalked off.

--

Alyssa decided to change into a normal outfit once she went upstairs. She had to dig through both suitcases before she found her black jeweled tank top to go with her dark jean shorts. She pulled on the shorts and found her black flip flops. She had thrown her t-shirt to the floor and was untangling the straps of her tank top when the door flew open. "Still don't believe in knocking?" she asked sarcastically not bothering to dress faster.

"Not in my own house", he retorted. Dom was the only one in the house that literally _never_ knocked. Everybody else usually just knocked once and walked in, but he didn't bother. There was always some bullshit speech about not having the time.

"What do you want?" she asked, pulling the shirt over her head.

He looked her up and down, "You going somewhere?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

She shook her head, "Nope."

He waggled her car keys in the air, "Come on", he said, "let's go for a drive."

"You're gonna leave me in the desert aren't you?" she whined.

"I was thinking about it", he admitted.

"Intent to strand, huh? Good to know", she muttered.

He tossed her the pair of keys to her car. She had deliberately put them back in the basket before she had gone to bed last night. "Let's go", he said as he turned and went back down the stairs. She grabbed her shoulder bag and followed him silently until they got to the barn. He opened the side door and motioned her inside so she could trail him to the other end of the garage where they kept their own cars.

They stopped in front of another covered car, and Alyssa stared at it so long that Dom sighed and walked around to pull the cover off of it himself. She was staring at the outline of the spoiler when he tugged off the cover, and she was somewhat unprepared to see her car sitting there, _waiting for her_. "Why did you guys keep it?" she asked quietly as she began to circle it.

"Why didn't you take it with you?" Dom countered.

She looked over the top of the car at him, slightly amused. "You gave me a plane ticket", she reminded. "This wouldn't have exactly fit in my luggage."

He grunted at her in assent, not being able to fault her logic for the time being. "Brian's been driving it", he said after a minute. "It's the one car he's managed not to get blown up."

Alyssa grinned, "If I heard correctly, _you_ were the one responsible for getting his last two cars blown up."

Dom grimaced, "Only the one", he refuted. "The last one was totaled – and that was just _indirectly_ my fault."

"Semantics, besides, he has his own car", she murmured, momentarily entranced by the car. It was a two-door white Acura Nsx RR Mugen with red and black interior. The sharp angles and contours of the body gave off the essence of speed that she loved. It was a right-handed drive, which is why she figured Brian liked it – he shared her passion for foreign cars. They had ordered all the parts from Tokyo – which made Dom hate it on principle, and it took a lot of convincing for her to get him to drive it. She had laughed from the _right_ passenger side as he complained about it the entire time: "We live in fucking _North America_! We drive on the _right_ side of the road and the steering wheel goes on the goddamn _left_! This is ridiculous!"

Alyssa opened the driver's side door and popped the hood. She heard Dom chuckle but ignored him and went to see what improvements had been made to her car. Dom stood to the side watching her until she pulled her head out from under the hood and he raised his eyebrow at her in an unspoken question. "Looks good", she said.

He rolled his eyes. "Can we get _in_?" he said dryly.

She tossed him a glare, "I'm checking my baby, shut up and wait a minute."

He grimaced, "You need a dog", he grumbled and walked around the opposite side of the car and got in the passenger seat and slammed the door.

Alyssa chuckled and gave the car another once over before getting into the driver's side. She pulled the door shut and turned the key in the ignition, nearly sighing at the growl of the engine. Dom reached over and hit the button on the remote on her overhead visor and the extra large garage door went up. She revved the engine before shifting gears and pulling swiftly onto the dirt path they called a driveway and followed it all the way to the road and stopped. "Which way?" she questioned stoically.

"Left", he said. "We'll get on the interstate." Alyssa groaned but did it anyways. "Don't start", he chuckled. "I want to show you something."

"I've heard that before", she muttered under her breath and reached over to crank up the radio as he stifled a laugh. "Idiot", she grumbled.

She was driving for about fifteen minutes, neither of them saying anything, before she felt him glaring at her, "_What?_" she finally snapped.

"I fucking _hate_ that tattoo", he growled.

Alyssa let out an exasperated laugh, "Dom, you've hated it since the first time you saw it; that's not news." She glanced briefly to her upper left arm at the ink black thin tribal band. He was the only one who ever brought it up these days, everyone else who knew she had it didn't feel the need to comment because they were used to it. Alyssa wondered how he would react if he knew about the tiny seahorse on her right hipbone and smothered a grin.

"Where the hell am I going?" she asked after a few minutes of quiet.

"Take the fourth exit and go left", he said finally. He had taught her to drive and sure as hell knew better than not to give her a general direction… they had driven to Arizona once accidentally.

Once they got off the highway he gave her more precise directions and about twenty minutes later they were halfway up what some might consider a mountain. She pulled into a large gravel area to the side of the road and parked the car. They got out and walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the clear sparkling water.

They stood silently for some time, just looking until Alyssa spoke up, "Why am I hear, Dom?"

"Because Mia called you; you would never say no to my sister", he answered factually.

Alyssa sighed, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. "I want a straight answer – now."

Dom was silent for a long time, "We have to pay back the guy we got our fake passports from", he said finally. "He wants his money sooner than we agreed."

She closed her eyes in annoyance, "How much?" she asked flatly.

"Two hundred fifty thousand", he muttered.

Alyssa bit her tongue to keep from yelling at him about how stupid everything was. "That's a quarter of a million dollars – how the hell were you planning on paying that much money back?!"

"I haven't quite figured that out yet", he said calmly. "Brian seems to think you're a freaking miracle worker or something… wanna explain that?"

Alyssa gave a wry laugh, "I'll have to, but not right now. Brian overestimates me sometimes, I think. But we'll see."

"If you plan on staying, you actually have to _stay_", he said after a few minutes.

She snorted. "What exactly do you think I'd do if I could help? Leave?" she questioned sarcastically. "What the hell sense does that make?"

He turned to her slightly, "No", he clarified. "If you stay now, you stay for good." Her jaw dropped. And then he followed his ultimatum with a threat, "Otherwise, I'll put you on a plane back to where you came from myself."

She whirled around angrily, "Get back in the car", she muttered over her shoulder and slammed herself in the car, not waiting for a response. He barely got the door shut before she squealed out of the parking spot and sped back to the house, refusing to speak to him the entire forty-five minutes back.

Alyssa jerked her car to a stop once back in the garage and got out, taking the keys with her and not looking back.

--

She angrily made her way up to her room only to find Letty lounging comfortably on her bed. Alyssa flopped down beside her with a groan. "It went that well, huh?" Letty asked with a laugh.

"He's _your_ annoying, stubborn, jerk of a boyfriend", Alyssa mumbled into the pillow, "How else did you think it would go?" She sat up to use a pillow as a backrest against the headboard. "I think this is beyond fixing", she said with a sigh. "I know that he was trying to protect me – I understand that much, but the rest of it… You know I've only seen all of you guys _together_ maybe six times since I left, you know how he acted. I could forgive almost anything else, but not that."

"I know you probably don't want to hear it", Letty said, "but he felt like shit about it. He never talked about it, of course, but we could see he felt guilty. I really wish you two could just fight it out like you used to and be done with it already."

Alyssa snorted, "Yeah, because that was _so_ mature."

"You've been one of his best friends for such a long time", Letty sighed, "I think you owe it to yourselves and the rest of us to try to find a happy medium."

"You want me to find a marijuana smoking caterpillar?" Alyssa laughed. "Do they even _have _those down here?" she teased.

Letty elbowed her, "I'm _not_ talking about '_Alice in Wonderland_', you little brat. There is way too much testosterone in this house; we need another female – and we all miss you."

Alyssa slid down farther on the bed to lean on Letty's shoulder, "How did I end up here, Letty?" she wondered.

"I heard you took a plane", Letty said lightly.

"I mean it, Let, who's idea was it?" she said seriously.

"I shouldn't be telling you this", Letty said with a sigh. "It was Brian."

Alyssa sat up abruptly, "Did he give a reason?"

"No, not really, he just went round and round about it until Leon told him to shut the hell up, I guess", she said.

"You walked in on their conversation", Alyssa said knowingly. Letty nodded. "They didn't want you to have to go behind Dom's back", she said. "Mia hinted as much when I spoke to her on the phone. I figured if you were willing to be sneaky about it, it was serious."

"I love him, but the man drives me crazy sometimes", Letty complained. "He always tries to do everything by himself."

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up", Alyssa agreed. "Hard-headed bastard", she grumbled. "He's still in the garage being pissed off."

"Why did Brian want us to call you?" Letty asked suddenly.

Alyssa gave Letty a thoughtful look, "Did Brian tell you where he went after everything happened?"

Letty nodded slightly, "He just said he was in Miami. And he told us about what happened with Carter Verone."

"After that happened", Alyssa explained, "somehow, he and I ended up working on something together. I was in Miami a lot", she said with a shrug. "His part of the story isn't for me to tell. But he was right when he said I could probably help."

"You aren't going to tell me", Letty assumed.

"I'd _like_ for Brian and I to sit down and tell _everyone_ at the same time", Alyssa stated. "But that would require Dom to stop being a control-freak, and let me do my job."

"What happened while you guys were gone?" Letty asked. "And why _in the hell_ did Dom have to pull you off of Brian this morning?"

"Well, Brian was running his mouth – you know how he is", Alyssa grimaced, "And Dom told me that if I intended to help, I had to stay or leave."

Letty raised a skeptical eyebrow, "What other choice is there?"

"No, Let, _stay_ stay – or he said he would put me back on the plane personally", Alyssa said, her tone tinged with annoyance.

Letty's other eyebrow shot up to meet the other one, "He meant _permanently?_"

"You got it. I think he's forgotten how well ultimatums work on me", she said sarcastically.

"Not well at all", Letty snickered.

"What can I say? Ultimatums make me itchy", Alyssa said dryly.

"And violent", Letty countered. They sat silently for a moment before Letty broke the silence. "I'm pregnant", she said quietly.

Alyssa nearly snapped her neck to look at her best friend, "What?" she asked in disbelief.

Letty nodded, "Pregnant. Two months", she finished.

Alyssa tackled her with a shriek, "_Oh my god!_"

"_Shh_", Letty hissed clamping a hand over her mouth.

Alyssa sat back on the bed, crossing her legs Indian-style, to study her friend's expression, "You haven't _told_ him?" she asked in disbelief. "Why the hell not?" Letty gave her a pointed look. "Ok", Alyssa continued, "so maybe you guys _are always_ running from people, and getting into absurd amounts of trouble, but you still have to _tell_ him."

"We haven't even _talked_ about having kids", Letty groaned.

"Oh, for Christ's sake", Alyssa complained running a hand through her hair. "How is it even possible that you two _sex maniacs_ haven't even had that discussion? You've been dating for _years_."

Letty let out a laugh, "Well, we've just been too busy trying to stay out of jail-"

"And having sex", Alyssa finished.

"Exactly", Letty smirked for a moment. "I don't even know if he wants kids."

Alyssa blinked, "Alright, that's just beyond ridiculous, even he and I talked about having kids. _Not together_!" she insisted when Letty stared at her. "We talked about whether we wanted kids or not; he's _always_ wanted kids eventually, Let. I promise he'll be happy about it."

"How are you so sure about that? He's never talked to me about it", she said.

"It's always been you, Letty. He has _always_ seen you in his future, and he wanted everything that went along with that. And – _holy fuck_", Alyssa said, realization dawning on her.

"_What?_" Letty demanded.

Alyssa rubbed her forehead, "_I_ _can't believe he never told you_", she muttered in aggravation. "I could just kick his ass."

"Tell me _what_, you neurotic bitch", Letty said in annoyance.

"Oh, no, no, no", Alyssa mumbled, jumping off the bed. She looked at Letty, "Do you remember the night Dom and I got together?" she questioned uneasily.

"Yeah, that party", Letty said with a smirk. "He was so pissed that night."

"Yeah, it was hilarious", Alyssa dead-panned sarcastically. She sighed, "What happened that night wasn't what it looked like", she continued. "But you need to hear it from Dom, not me."

Letty stood up, crossing her arms, "And why exactly can't you tell me?"

"I almost told you when you talked to me before Dom got back from Lompoc", she admitted. "But I still feel the same way now that I did then. It's his story to tell you, not mine – I was just involved. I thought for sure he would have told _you_ at least when he asked you out. Especially when I heard how Vince kept asking him if us having sex had anything to do with why I left. But he didn't – and in case you were wondering, Dom and I _never_ have had sex, ever."

Letty squinted at her in disbelief, "You guys dated almost two years."

Alyssa grimaced, "I know it's hard to believe, but not every female wants in his pants."

"Just ninety-five percent of them", Letty said wryly.

Alyssa nodded, "I slept in his bed – a lot – but we never did much more than that. I'm fully aware that as far as opposite gendered best friends go, we were pretty touchy, but that didn't escalate _very much_. And that was because of him – and the fact that we told Mr. T. the truth, because I made him. I hate being alone, Letty", she said quietly, "More than you or Mia. Before I moved in, I didn't get much sleep at night. When I moved into Mia's room, it was like I knew I didn't have to worry anymore. The weekend that Mr. T. took Mia with him out of town, Dom had to come wake me up because I was crying in my sleep. You know Vince sleeps through everything, and he was in the basement, so he didn't hear a thing. Dom just took me back to his bed and held me until I fell asleep."

"What did you tell Mr. T.?" Letty murmured.

"The truth", Alyssa said evasively. "And I told him, that even if I slept in Dom's bed, there would be absolutely no super sexy fun time happening. You should have seen Dom's face", she said laughing. "He looked like he was having a coronary."

Letty cracked up laughing and sat back on the bed, "I can't believe you said something like that to Mr. T.", she said with a giggle. "What did he say?"

Alyssa bit her lip to stifle a laugh, "I think his exact words were, 'Well, good.'" She shook her head. "Then he just walked out the front door and went back to the garage and never said anything else about it to us. He did give us odd looks once in a while, but mostly because he thought we were being stupid – which we were."

"I miss him", Letty said softly.

Alyssa nodded sadly, "Me too. He was the best." They were quiet for a moment. "He'd be a grandpa", Alyssa said with a grin. She hopped up and down, reverting to her childhood antics when she was excited. "You're having a _baby_!" she said excitedly.

Letty just nodded, "Uh-huh", she said, looking a little worried.

"_Letty_", Alyssa whined as she gave her a tight hug, "you can be excited about it."

"Right now, I'm _freaking out_ about it", Letty said.

Alyssa backed off slightly with a nod, "I know. I'm gonna go give your baby-daddy a piece of my mind, and he's gonna tell you what he should have a long time ago. And for Pete's sake, _relax_! It's not bad, Let, I promise. He's a guy, so he probably assumed it wouldn't matter – which it doesn't, really, but he's still gonna tell you. And after he tells you everything, you have to promise me you'll tell him about Peanut", she said pointing to Letty's stomach.

"How is that fair?" Letty questioned.

"Because, you know just as well as I do, that I still can't keep a secret from Dom to save my life", she said. "And don't even think about asking me to tell him", she said quickly. "This is your news, and he deserves to hear it from you."

"You still care about him", Letty said softly.

Alyssa let out a breath, "Of course I do. He was my first guy best friend, and he's practically my brother. He hurt me, Let – a lot – but I don't hate him."

"Well, that's a relief", Letty said. "Maybe things can get back to normal around here."

Alyssa laughed, "Oh, god, Letty, nothing around this family has _ever_ been normal!" She caught her breath, "Ok, I'm gonna go yell at Dom some more, and I'm probably gonna be a while – but stay put. And just so you don't try to get out of telling him, like I know you will, by telling me 'it didn't come up', when it's all over with, I'm going to tell him you have something you need to talk to him about."

Letty glowered at her, "I don't like you very much right now."

Alyssa snickered, "_And_, since we know how bull-headed he is, he'll probably try to get you to tell him first. _Don't do it_", she said. "I think you'll have a lot less anxiety over the whole thing if you hear what he has to say first."

"He's gonna come up here and tell me you told him to get me to talk first", Letty said in exasperation.

"Yup, he will", Alyssa agreed. Letty groaned. "And when he does, you just have to say _SPUDS!_" Alyssa said with a laugh.

"_What?_" Letty said tilting her head, "Spuds, like the potato? What the hell kind of crazy sense does that make?"

"It's our badly made up acronym", Alyssa admitted. "If he knows I let you use it, he'll tell you because he has to."

"What does it mean?" Letty asked warily.

"Ask Dom", Alyssa said giggling. "If he wants to come yell at me later for it, you can tell him I'm on the back porch", she said heading towards the door.

"Hey", Letty said, "Take him a Corona."

Alyssa nodded, "Got it. Letty?" she asked in an innocent tone.

"What?"

"You're gonna put me on that kid's In Case of Emergency List, right?" she asked stifling a laugh.

Letty hurled a pillow at her, "You are such a bitch", she said with a laugh.

"I've spent years perfecting that skill", Alyssa called as she left the room and went down stairs.

--

Alyssa grabbed two Corona's from the fridge and went out the backdoor, ignoring everyone's looks as she passed and went out the back door to take the dirt path down to the garage. She walked quickly, knowing that it wasn't the time to over-think the situation. She opened the door, pleased that it didn't squeak and alert him to her presence just yet. She walked silently to the back of the shop where she found him under a jacked-up car.

He was in the process of fixing something – apparently – and the cursing that followed the normal noises indicated that it wasn't going well. She glanced at the floor beside him and sighed when she saw there was nothing there. Usually, when he was working on a car, he kept the tools laid out next to him on a cloth on the floor. They were on the bench five feet away. They were still laid out in the usual order, but he only kept them so far away from him when he was irritated and had extra energy to burn that couldn't be taken care of by simply working on a car.

She grabbed one of the wrenches from its spot, knowing he would want it next, and stood to the right of him to wait for him to finish whatever he was doing. She heard the noises stop for a brief second before starting up again, and she knew he was aware of her presence. She stood there silently, waiting for a few minutes before he rolled himself out from under the car and sat up on the board. Alyssa squatted down and held out the bottle of Corona and the wrench in her hands teasingly, waiting to see which one he would take.

He raised an eyebrow and reached for a bottle. She kept the other one and stood up to put the wrench back before leaning against the side of the car as she took a sip. "What? Are you done playing in my Guinness now?" he grumbled lightly as he stood up and relaxed next to her against the car. "I have that stuff imported to me for a reason."

She chuckled, "I figured I could only _really_ taunt you with it once and get away with it", she answered. "Besides, I know what it means to have something that's only yours."

"You better believe that was a one-off", he warned. "What are you doing in here?"

She quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement; they usually danced around issues a little bit before starting arguments. "It seems your Spanish has gotten better," she said lightly. "I never thought I'd see the day you would be happy in Mexico." She laughed, "Letty told me about the Dominican Republic. She said you were 'badly fluent'."

He rolled his eyes, "I'm not that bad."

"Better than you used to be, in any case", Alyssa admitted. "It's okay, Dom, _Italianos_ aren't supposed to be able to use a proper Spanish accent", she finished trying to smother a laugh by taking a drink.

"You're a pain in the ass", he said good-naturedly.

"I got it from you", she retorted evenly.

"Maybe so", he agreed. "Answer my question."

"_Ay, papi_", she said with a sigh, "We need to talk" she said giving him a side glance.

By the look on his face, she could tell he was trying to fight a smile with annoyance, "About what?" he asked finally.

She let the glass bottle dangle between her fingers as she forced her muscles to loosen; for once, she wasn't looking for a confrontation, and she wanted him to see that. "Why didn't you tell Letty?" she asked quietly. "Why didn't you tell her that nothing ever happened between us?"

He gave her that look she hated; the one that said he was questioning her amount of working brain cells. "Because", he said slowly, "nothing happened."

She slapped a hand to her forehead, "I could _slap_ you for being such a moron. You are _such_ a guy", she complained.

"Most girls don't complain about that", he said with a smirk.

"I'm not most girls", she said pointedly.

"No, you're not", he admitted. "But I seem to remember a time where you didn't complain about it either."

"Asshole", she grumbled. "That's not the point. You should have _told_ her that we weren't really together! I thought for sure you would tell her everything when you guys finally got together."

"I didn't think it mattered", he said dryly.

"But she's _female_, of course it matters!" Alyssa said exasperatedly.

"What's that got to do with it?" he wondered blankly.

"It has everything to do with it! Why don't you listen?" she whined.

"We're not dating. You don't get to ask me that question", he said diplomatically.

She groaned, "You have to tell her", she insisted. "If it didn't matter then – which it _did_ – it matters now. You have to go tell her."

"Why? Is she pissed at you or something?" he asked giving her an indecipherable look.

Alyssa glared up at the beams that were keeping the roof from collapsing on them, "No", she said finally, throwing her arms up in frustration. She sighed, "You trusted me once", she said quietly. "All I'm asking is that you trust me now, and go talk to her. She deserves to hear the whole story. Besides", she finished, "do you really think I would have come in here to talk to you about something I can't even talk to you about if I didn't think it was important?"

He blinked, "I don't know what the hell you just said", he admitted.

She laughed, leaning against the car for support when her legs wouldn't hold her up any more, "That figures", she managed to get out.

"How many of those have you had?" he questioned motioning to the almost empty bottle in her hand.

"Just this one, I promise", she giggled.

"I've heard that before", he stated dryly.

At that point, she lost her already frayed control, and laughed until she nearly fell over. Dom caught her around the waist and pulled her against his chest as her insane laughter turned into tears, as usual. He had told her once that she had a scary kind of laugh when she was about to lose control. It was true, and every once in a while, it had resulted in him carrying her out of room to avoid an even bigger scene. She didn't push him away this time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 6**_

--

After some time, Alyssa realized that she was no longer standing. At some point Dom had carried her to the old ratty couch that they never got rid of – let's face it, it was like the garage mascot – and was holding her in his lap. She took a final steadying breath – _dammit, she was so sick of crying already_ – and climbed off his lap. He let her go and she went to the opposite corner of the couch, "Sorry", she muttered.

She saw him roll his eyes at her as she stared straight ahead. She _hated_ this. They had never, _ever_, felt the need to be this careful around each other – it was disconcerting. While it wasn't unusual for Alyssa to try to escape his arms after she gave into a crying jag, Dom usually didn't let her go; it was yet another thing showing how screwed up things had gotten. "Wanna tell me what that was all about?" he rumbled.

She turned towards him with an incredulous look, "Are you _kidding_ me?"

"I guess that's a no, then", he said.

"It's _this_ stupid crap that makes me want to strangle your big neck", she complained darkly.

"I don't have a big neck", he defended.

She just rolled her eyes, "_Yes_, you do, and that's completely beside the point."

"No, it's the whole-" he stopped himself. "Never mind", he growled.

Alyssa gave a light laugh, "Did this argument start with a point this time or not?" she asked.

He scrunched his eyes, "I don't remember", he admitted. "If it did, _I_ sure didn't know what it was."

"Right", she groaned. "Go talk to Letty", she said finally.

"We should finish-" he started cautiously, but she cut him off.

"I don't want to get into this with you right now", she said tiredly.

"Tough shit", he said glowering at her.

She shook her head ignoring him, "It will keep", she said seriously. "Go talk to Letty." He gave her a look that made her roll her eyes at him again, "Please", she sighed.

"Fine", he grumbled after a minute. "Let's go", he said standing up.

She looked up at him with pursed lips, "Actually, would you mind-" she stopped and made a vague motion with her hand.

He nodded and opened the top drawer of the desk nearby. Dom tossed the keys on the cushion next to her. "Lock up when you leave", he said turning to leave. "Don't start throwing my tools around", he said as an afterthought.

Alyssa let out a quiet laugh, "You're the one who does that, Dom, not me. You know I think that's a travesty." He grumbled something unintelligible before she called to him again. "Letty has something to tell you too", she said when he turned to look at her again.

His eyes narrowed at her, "What is it?"

Alyssa grinned and shook her head, "Not telling. Go tell her first, and then she promised she would tell you."

He stared her down like he had when he wanted her to tell him something in all the years they had lived together. Alyssa bit her lip and refused to cave, instead finding a grease stain on the floor to hold her concentration. What was probably only forty-five seconds seemed like an eternity before he groaned in annoyance, "Fine", he complained before stalking out.

Alyssa gave him five minutes before following, making sure to lock the door properly behind her. She had been sitting on the porch swing for just a few minutes when Brian came out and sat next to her, holding a large coffee cup out for her to take. Her eyes lit up, "You're the best", she said immediately.

He chuckled, "Don't get too excited; it's just decaf." She scowled at him, but continued drinking it. "You don't need any caffeine, sweetheart. You're high-strung enough as it is."

"Don't threaten my caffeine intake", she warned.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

She sighed, "I'm sorry", she muttered, "about this afternoon. You're a friend, not some asshole I'd like to shoot in the face… usually", she said with a tiny smile crossing her lips momentarily. "I shouldn't have acted like that."

He laughed lightly, "No kidding… but it's alright. It's our thing: I do something to piss you off, you threaten to kill me."

"Third time's a charm?" she questioned teasingly.

"Let's not find out", Brian said dryly.

Alyssa chuckled under her breath. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while until she spoke up. "Is it the same?" she asked. "The rush of trying to catch bad guys compared to being the one actually trying not to get caught?"

"A little bit", he said thoughtfully. "But it's different too."

She put her empty cup by her feet and turned towards him curiously. "Did you ever tell them why you became a cop? Did you tell them about Anna?" she pressed quietly.

A pained look crossed his face, "No."

She rested her head on his shoulder comfortingly, "You should", she whispered. "They would understand."

"It doesn't really matter now, does it? I made my choice", he said.

"That's why it matters", she said. "They're your family now. You lost yours when you chose to be a cop because of the way everything was. When Dom made you part of this family you got to choose again, choose differently, to have a real family – as dysfunctional as we all are", she stated wryly. "Besides, I liked Anna. She should come down to visit."

"Oh, that would go over well", he muttered.

"That's why you should tell them, stupid", she said poking him. "She's part of your family still too. Besides, she could share my room", Alyssa said grinning. "I _know_ that you feel like it's this taboo subject, but pretending that none of it happened doesn't do anyone any good. At least think about it."

Brian was getting ready to answer when they heard Letty's voice shrill through the opened third-story window, "_Spuds!_"

Alyssa doubled over and tried to contain her laughter so it wouldn't be heard. "_Oh my god_", she hissed through laughing, "Dom's probably mollified!"

"What the hell just happened?" Brian asked incredulously, trying not to grin.

The door to the kitchen flung open and Dom stood in front of them glaring incredulously, "_Why_ did _Letty_ just yell 'spuds!' at me?" he demanded.

"I told you to tell her first", Alyssa said seriously.

"_You_- you're not allowed to just – I can't believe you told her that!" he sputtered.

"I didn't tell her what it meant", she said with a smirk.

"Do you at least tell her that _you_ made it up?" he said glowering.

"Hmm, no, but I didn't say you did it either", Alyssa defended mirthfully.

"What _does_ it mean?" Brian questioned after watching them argue for a few minutes. Alyssa twisted her mouth into a grimace, "I made it up when I was fifteen", she muttered. Brian just raised an amused eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. "Spill your damn secrets", she finally said under her breath.

"What?" Brian asked confused. He tilted his head to the side and thought for a moment, and then started laughing. "Wow", he said amusedly after a minute, "That's an _awful_ acronym."

Alyssa rolled her eyes and punched him, "Yeah, yeah, shut up", she complained.

"I'm glad _your_ amused", Dom growled sarcastically.

Alyssa snickered, then stood up frowning. She rolled her eyes, "I'm betting that means that you've spent the past twenty minutes trying to get Letty to tell you what's going on instead of listening to me", she said in aggravation. "_Nothing_ good happens when you don't listen to me", she stated seriously and pointing at him. "Now stop being an annoying asshole and please go explain to her what happened and why we were _fake dating_ – you moron", she added. She folded her arms across her chest with an air of finality and stared at him until he grumbled and went back into the house.

Alyssa went back to sit by Brian, a grin sprouting on her face. "What just happened?" he asked giving her an odd look.

"Dom's pissed that I'm making him tell Letty why he was too chicken to ask her out when he decided he liked her in the beginning. And that instead, he convinced me to help him make her jealous – which I didn't know had worked until Dom got out of Lompoc", she finished softly. "They got together a few weeks later, but I never knew that he hadn't actually _told_ her until today."

"How did you even end up fake dating?" Brian wondered slightly amused.

Alyssa laughed, "I was sixteen – nearly seventeen – and Mr. T. was gone for the weekend and we all went to a party. Let's just say that Dom took advantage of a situation and feigned jealousy as he carried me through the house and locked us in the bathroom. He was actually yelling at me for flirting and then asked me to do a favor for him", she said with a grin.

"Oh, god", Brian muttered shaking his head. "I think I'm glad I didn't know you guys then", he admitted.

"Oh, we would have given you a run for you money, Blondie", she agreed.

--

Alyssa had played some racing game with Leon and Jesse after dinner, and they had both promptly trounced her seeing as she was so out of practice. Now it was after eleven o'clock and she was lying on her bed that night, feet resting on the pillows, reading one of the gossip magazines she had stolen from the San Francisco airport when her door creaked open. "You know", she said without looking up, "_knocking_ isn't really that overrated."

"Letty's pregnant", Dom said slowly.

Her lips twitched as she kept her eyes on her magazine, "I know; congratulations", she said softly.

"Letty informed me that she was pregnant, and then she told me that I wasn't allowed back in our bed until you and I stopped fighting", he in an aggravated tone as he came over to her side of the bed.

_Classic Letty._ Alyssa couldn't smother her grin at his frustration and turned on her side to face away from him. "So, I'm guessing you'll be sleeping on the couch for about a week or so until she caves then, won't you?" she said tonelessly.

She felt the mattress dip, and his knee pushed at her back, "Move over", he demanded.

Then she did roll over to finally look at him and gave him glare, "You're not sleeping in here", she said flatly. "It's just not happening."

"Move over", he repeated.

"Get out", she answered.

He folded his arms over his chest, "Wanna tell me what your problem is?" he growled.

She sat up on the bed and rolled her eyes, "_You_", she complained, "You are always my problem."

"_What_ is wrong with you? Did you have a second helping of Bitch Flakes this morning?" he said, smirking through his exasperation.

"I bruised Vince when he said that, and he had no prior offenses", she reminded. "Do you really want to test me right now?" she asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Why don't you just tell me what the hell you're so mad at me about before I decide", he said in a calm tone that he was fully aware drove her crazy.

"You are such an asshole", she hissed. "I'm furious with you, and you think it's funny."

"I'm not laughing", he countered.

"No, you're not", she said tightly. "But after all these years of you treating me like shit, you just expect me to let you climb back in bed with me and be freaking snuggle bunnies. It's not going to happen. I'm too angry with you; and you acting like this is insulting to my intelligence. Get out; there's a perfectly comfortable couch downstairs. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

She reached over to pick up where she left off in her magazine article when she was suddenly tackled to the bed and pinned flat on her back, knees tucked against her chest between them. She did the only thing she could think of: she screamed. "_Letty!_" she shrieked.

She heard feet and the wood hallway and Letty appeared in the doorway looking amused, "You called", she drawled.

"Get your giant, idiot, _something_ off of me", Alyssa snapped. "Take him back to bed with you so I can read."

"_Cosmo_", Letty said with a shrug. "I didn't know that was considered great American literature these days."

"Shut up or I'll make you let me read the extended works of Jane Austen to Peanut", Alyssa complained. Letty rolled her eyes.

"Peanut?" Dom questioned from on top of her.

Alyssa made a hand gesture, "It's tiny and I don't want to call it an 'it'", she explained.

"Didn't you just call me her 'something'", he pointed out.

"You don't count", she declared succinctly. "Letty _please_ make him go away", she pleaded trying to push him off of her. "We're too old for this shit. I'm not that flexible anymore", she complained.

"I'm _trying_ to apologize", Dom insisted, "And you're being a bitch."

"Too fucking bad", Alyssa growled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Letty fighting off a grin.

"I'm so glad you find it so funny that your baby daddy is on top of me and trying to get me to let him share my bed tonight", she growled.

Letty started laughing then. "Of all the people that I would be worried about", she snickered, "You're not even _on_ the list."

"I am _not_ a lesbian!" Alyssa insisted. "Stop laughing, you asshole", she growled at Dom.

He just ruffled her hair, "That's not why she said that, so relax. I told her the truth, and now she _really _has no reason to be suspicious of you trying to steal me", he said smothering a laugh.

"Never mind that I currently hate you", Alyssa added with a scowl on her face.

"Yeah, and that", he said quietly.

"I'm having a sleepover with Mia tonight so we can look for baby stuff online", Letty said. "I'll see you two in the morning."

"_Letty, no_" Alyssa whined. "You're seriously leaving us alone all night? Who knows what he'll do to me!"

Letty just shook her head, "'Night, guys", she said, "Behave". She stepped out, closing the door behind her.

"Great", Alyssa groused. "Now how am I supposed to get rid of you?" she complained to Dom.

"How about you shut up and do what I ask for once", he suggested.

--

Letty waved Mia out of her room and they sneaked downstairs and went to the living room and sat down with the boys. "She screaming at him up there?" Vince grumbled as he passed his controller back to Leon after Jesse won again.

Letty chuckled, "You bet."

"He deserves it", Leon said quietly. "He didn't have to cut her out completely. She was an adult; he should have let her decide for herself."

Vaguely, they all heard a thump from somewhere above them. "What are they doing?" Jesse wondered curiously.

Letty snickered, "She probably pushed him off the bed."

"Oh god", Mia laughed.

"He had her pinned to the bed when I went in there", Letty explained. "She was trying to push him off. It's her own fault though. She's the one who let him give massages as a form of apology in the first place – now she's upset that it works", she chuckled.

"Eww", Vince grumbled grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table.

Brian came down the stairs with a disgusted look on his face, "Let, I'm sorry, but listening to them is annoying."

"Ah, so he caught her then", Letty said with a light laugh. "Good, maybe tomorrow they won't be so annoying."

"You seriously don't care that they're going to be sleeping in the same bed?" he questioned.

"They're not having sex", she said grinning. "I am Zen."

"Those two are so fucking stupid", Vince growled. "After everything we've been through, and her doing everything for us while Dom was gone – not to mention all the things they did for each other – it's taken way too long for them to have an actual conversation. He didn't have to hurt her like that."

"He didn't mean to, V", Letty said quietly, "Not this badly, anyhow. He wanted her away from all our shit, and didn't have any other way to keep her out of it other than being a jackass."

"She was _alone_", Vince said in frustration. "We were her whole family. Did you forget that she moved into my room while Dom was in Lompoc just so she could sleep? God, she needs a dog or something."

"She's been spending a lot of time with her brother since all that happened", Brian interjected.

"I repeat: she needs a dog or something", Vince refuted. Brian just rolled his eyes and smiled.

--

Alyssa finally gave up after he wrestled her face down on the bed after she managed to knock him on the floor. She had been so satisfied with herself that she had stood there laughing and had forgotten to prepare for retaliation. _Oh, well_, she thought. He gave out good apologies. She almost felt as if she could fall asleep now that her muscles felt like goo. She grumbled incoherently in protestation when he turned her around on the bed, putting her head on the pillows and lying down next to her.

She forced herself onto her side to face him and curled against his chest giving up. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She heard the grunt of disapproval before his thumb traveled the dark circles under her eyes that she hadn't bothered to cover after her shower. "You haven't been sleeping", he stated in an undertone. Déjà vu, they'd had this conversation when she was fifteen.

She rolled her eyes, "Thanks, Captain Obvious", she murmured. "That's something you shouldn't say to a female."

He sighed, "How long has it been since you slept a whole night without waking up every other hour?"

"Can't remember", she muttered tiredly. "On that point, could you shut up so I can sleep?"

"I'm sorry I hurt you", he said quietly. "You were right before. I didn't want you to leave. I've missed you just like everyone else has – even if you're still mad at me", he laughed slightly.

"I'm mad at you", she confirmed sleepily. "But I still love you, so shh", she commanded. "Just hold me 'til I fall asleep."

He pulled her closer and they settled in for what was probably going to be the last time they slept in the same bed together.

--

Alyssa was seated on the recliner in the living room the next evening, finally getting to enjoy spending non-stressful time with her friends. She and Dom had called a temporary truce and Letty, despite the fact that she couldn't drink, thought they should all celebrate. She had sent Jesse, Brian, and Leon off the buy more beer and got out shot glasses while the rest of them waited for Dom to find the hidden bottle of liquor.

When Alyssa saw the bottle he brought back, she had jumped off the chair taken the bottle from his hand, and kissed him on the cheek before he knew what happened, "_Gracias, papi_", she said taking her seat again. She curled herself protectively around the bottle and looked around the room teasingly, "Now, what are the rest of you drinking?" she asked with a laugh.

Dom laughed, shaking his head as he walked across the room. He trapped her in the chair and wrestled the bottle from her with minimal effort. "Still haven't learned to share, have you?" he teased.

"About as well as you have", she said matter-of-factly. "Come on, Mia", she said, standing up and tugging the girl from her seat on the couch opposite of Dom and Letty. Vince was sitting in another chair watching the scene with amusement. "Let's go cut limes."

Now alone in the kitchen with the woman she had considered a sister almost since the first day they had met, she made her request, "Okay, girly", she said softly, "are you gonna stop worrying now? You're too young to have frown lines", she teased.

Mia let out a laugh as she grabbed a few limes from the fridge and set out a cutting board. Alyssa grabbed a knife and a bowl and brought it to the island silently. "Well", Mia said amusingly, "you and my brother seem to be as annoying as ever."

"Oh, please", Alyssa laughed, "Did you really think that would change? We live to drive each other crazy."

Mia snorted, "No", she disagreed decidedly, "I think you two live to drive the _rest_ of us crazy."

"That's probably true", she admitted wryly. "Mia, I have to ask you for a favor", she said quietly.

Mia looked at her with furrowed eyebrows, "What is it?" she asked slowly.

Alyssa smirked, "I want your permission to kidnap your boyfriend next weekend", she admitted. "I have an idea, but I'm going to need his help", she said lowering her voice. "I don't want anyone else to know about it, so I wanted to ask you before I spring it on him – because I'm not telling him where we're going until we are far enough away."

"Ok, in translation", Mia said mockingly, "You're keeping secrets from my brother – and you're not going to give me details either."

Alyssa sighed, "It's better this way. I'm not sure what the end result will be, and I don't want to put the cart before the horse."

Mia rolled her eyes, but nodded, "Fine. Promise me you'll bring Brian back in one piece?"

"I suppose so", Alyssa said with a smile. "Don't tell him anything?" she pleaded. "It will be more fun this way."

"For you or him?" Mia laughed.

"Oh, definitely for me", Alyssa said with a grin grabbing the bowl with the lime slices, and they walked back into the living room.

"Took you two long enough", Vince complained when they came back. Alyssa threw a slice of lime at him which he caught before tossing back a shot and biting it.

"Alright, guys!" Alyssa yelled, "Time for shots!"

When Leon, Jesse, and Brian finally got back to the house, Alyssa was on her eighth shot. She got up and ran to Brian, stumbling in the process.

"Hey, Bri Bri", she said giggling as she wound her arms around his neck and ruffled his hair.

Brian rolled his eyes in annoyance, but grabbed her waist to hold her up. He glanced over to the coffee table and groaned. "Aw, damn; fuck, Dom, why'd you let her get into the Bacardi?" Brian complained.

Dom raised an eyebrow, "What's the problem?"

"She gets all handsy and obnoxious", he muttered.

"I resent that", Alyssa said turning around to face the rest of the room. She glanced over at Dom to wink discreetly.

She watched as Dom's eyes widened in realization and he fought a grin off of his face. "Well", he said, clearing his throat, "I did not know that."

"Maybe not", Brian retorted, "but you're the one who's gonna have put her to bed after she starts groping Letty."

"That was _one_ time – and I never did that to _Letty_, geez", Alyssa grumbled as Brian maneuvered her over to where Dom was sitting – bypassing her chair – and literally put her in his lap. She stretched herself out so her feet were resting on Letty's lap.

Brian went back into the kitchen, carrying the extra cases of _Corona_ to put them in the fridge while Vince tossed the first set of bottles to everyone. Once he was gone, Dom hissed in her ear, "You little shit", he laughed. "What did you do that for?"

Alyssa laughed, tilting her head up from its position on his shoulder, "We had some interesting times in Miami. Sometimes I felt like it was necessary to have diversionary tactics."

Letty pulled one of her toes, "Are you two gonna tell us what you two did up there? I wanna hear stories."

"Yeah", Alyssa said, "We will tomorrow after dinner."

"What's after dinner?" Brian asked when he came back into the room.

"We're gonna tell them about Miami", Alyssa said with a giggle.

Brian groaned, "Why couldn't you have said that when you were _sober_?"

Dom just laughed from his position from behind her and drank more from his bottle.

"I want to know what females you've been groping on your drunken excursions", Letty said with a chuckle.

--

Brian walked up the path giving a surprised whistle. "Now there's something I never saw in Miami!" he said with a smirk. It was early afternoon and Alyssa had talked the girls into tanning with her and they were all lying in beach chairs in their bikinis on the grass in the backyard facing the garage.

"What, me?" Mia asked with a laugh.

Brian laughed sheepishly, "Well yeah", he said running a hand through his hair. "But-"

"Brian, don't you _dare_!" Alyssa said flipping up her dark sunglasses with a glare.

"Okay, now I'm interested", Letty said. "_What's_ going on?"

"I'll tell you what better _not_ be going on-" Dom started as he came shirtless out of the garage. Alyssa and Letty gave identical wolf whistles.

"That's _so_ gross", Mia muttered from her spot between them.

"Why do I feel like a piece of meat?" Dom complained.

"Because you look delicious", Letty purred.

Alyssa winced, "God, Letty, you make me wanna burn _my_ ears off."

Letty snickered, "That's 'cause I got _talent_, chica."

"Oh, kill me", Mia whined.

Brian laughed, "_Now_, can I finish my story?"

"Yes, _please_", Mia said.

"Brian, I _mean_ it-" Alyssa started.

"I've never seen _that_ one tanning with her top _on_ before", he said pointing at Alyssa.

Alyssa's hands went to her face as she muttered, _"Oh, god."_

"_Who's got their top off?_" they heard Vince yell as he sprinted out of the garage.

"No one, Vince", Dom said as he punched his shoulder.

Vince walked back into the garage muttering, "_Who lies about topless girls?"_

Alyssa chanced a peak out from behind her hands to see everyone staring at her. Letty and Mia were looking at her wide-eyed, Brian was smirking, and Dom – well, he was giving her the raised eyebrow. "The first time was sort of an accident", she defended.

"Define '_accident_'", Dom said gruffly.

"Were you guys on a topless beach or something?" Letty asked with a grin.

Alyssa opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Brian said, "Nope, she was on my house."

"I'm sorry; did you say she was _on_ your house?" Dom demanded.

"He was supposed to be gone that day", Alyssa said with a laugh.

"You were the one who stood up and waved when I yelled for you", Brian shot back. "You could have put your top back on."

Letty and Mia laughed.

"I wasn't really thinking about it, Brian, geez", she said. "It's not like I planned to show my goodies off to someone that wasn't on an airplane."

He rolled his eyes, "I'm aware of that. A little warning might have been nice though."

"What, did you want me to yell, 'Hey, wanna see my ta-tas?'" she laughed. "Besides, your reaction was priceless!" She looked at Mia and Letty. "He covered his eyes and whirled himself around pretty fast", she snickered. "But the look on his face beforehand-" she broke off laughing. "_I thought he was gonna shit himself!_ His face looked exactly like Dom's does when he has to be in the car while Brian's driving!"

"I wasn't going to shit myself", Brian said dryly. "I was surprised."

"And I _definitely_ don't look like I'm going to shit myself when Brian drives", Dom said with a grimace.

"Yes, you do", Alyssa refuted with a laugh.

Letty fell back laughing in the lounge chair, "I would pay money to see that", she said to Alyssa.

Alyssa groaned. Brian had stopped pouting and now had a wicked grin on his face. "I've got a few DVDs of footage from Miami", he said. "Miss Ta Ta – Flasher has plenty of scenes. We got into all kinds of shenanigans."

Alyssa leaned down to grab her hot sandal from the ground and hurled it at him. He caught it after it bounced off of his chest. "You're an annoying asshole", she complained. "And _what _did I tell you about using the word 'shenanigans' around me?"

He threw her flip flop back at her, "I can't seem to recall", he said cheekily. "I'm pretty sure you got sand in my ears that day."

"_After_ you tried to drown me in salt water!" Alyssa rebutted. "You ruined my hour of tanning", she said petulantly.

He laughed, "Yeah, but if I hadn't, you wouldn't have beaten Rome's ass in the Jet Ski race."

Alyssa smirked, "He was so mad. Then we made him buy dinner", she chuckled. "Go ahead and find the DVDs, Brian", she said with a grin. "I bet they would be fun to watch. We can set it up after dinner, after we tell them about everything else."

His mouth twisted, "I know where they are."

"This outta be good", Letty said with a smirk.


	7. Chapter 7

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 7**_

Alyssa had offered to go shopping the next day to get supplies for their barbeque while everyone else finished in the garage for the day so she left around four. An hour and a half later when she got back, she was surprised that no one was back yet and she went about getting things ready to cook. She was tossing a salad when the door finally slammed open and the herd trampled in and she had to smile at all the noise.

She put the lid on the finished salad and shoved it into the fridge as food was taken from her and placed into various cookwares or carried out back to the grill. "Go start the grill – then step away", Dominic commanded pointing at the guys minus Jesse who was currently being forced to help Letty and Mia shuck corn, and they scurried out the back door. Dominic never trusted Vince and Leon around fire without supervision. Brian did _not_ count as supervision.

Alyssa grabbed a few Coronas from the fridge and passed them around before she leaned against the counter. She stretched her leg out and kicked Dom in the shin with her bare foot. He raised an eyebrow at her and she smirked. "It's good to be the king isn't it?" she teased

"As long as they 'king' doesn't have to play babysitter", he grumbled.

She tossed her head back and laughed while the other three groaned in annoyance. "Don't get him started", Mia said as she squinted at the ear of corn searching for stray silk.

"Geez, Dominic, there's no need to sound so bitter", Alyssa chided. "Nobody here needs a babysitter anymore – except maybe Vince", she conceded as an afterthought. "None of us are sixteen anymore and are trying to sneak dates into the house after hours."

"I'd be quiet if I were you", Dom warned.

"Or what?" she teased. "Are you gonna spank me?" She was grinning until she caught the mischievous look on his face and immediately snapped her mouth shut and winced. "Oh, _god_", she muttered, keeping her eyes closed. She chanced a peek with one eye and groaned. "You promised", she reminded, "we would never speak of the incident again."

"I _told_ you to be quiet", he said with a smirk.

"I'm just gonna go hide under my bed", she muttered and moved to leave the kitchen, but Dom caught her around the waist and gave her an evil grin.

"Nope, you're gonna help me tell this story", he said lightly as he guided her to the table with the others and pulled her down onto his lap once he sat down. She huffed at his preemptive stop of her escape.

Letty raised a curious eyebrow, "_What_ happened?"

"Nothing", Alyssa hissed. "Dominic, you're a dumbass", she grumbled over her shoulder as she threw her feet in Letty's lap.

"Oh, _gee_, I've never been called _that_ before", he said sarcastically.

"I currently despise you", she complained.

"Then you shouldn't have brought it up", he declared. "Too late now; start", he demanded. "Oh, and Letty can help fill in the blanks", he finished. Letty gave a quizzical look and Alyssa grumbled under her breath but did as he asked, taking them back to many years before.

_When Letty had appeared at Alyssa's locker that Friday after school, Alyssa had promptly pulled her into the girls' bathroom for some privacy. "Letty, you have to cover for me", she begged._

_Letty raised an eyebrow, "For what?" she questioned._

"_Jack asked if he could give me a ride home", Alyssa explained in an undertone._

"_Jack Parsons?" Letty asked skeptically. Alyssa nodded. "Oh, he'll give you a ride all right", Letty grumbled under her breath. Jack was in Letty's grade and was quite friendly with the female population._

"_Please, Letty! I need to do something fun before I go crazy", she groused. "Tell Dom you dropped me off at the house because I wanted to get some homework done before I ride my bike to help Mia at the store. Mr. T. won't be back 'til late, __**please**__", she pleaded._

_Letty rolled her eyes and growled, "You so owe me, you bitch. And for the record, I think this is a really bad idea."_

_Alyssa squealed and grabbed Letty in a hug, "Duly noted. Thank you, thank you!" she cried happily and yanked Letty with her out of the restroom and took off down the hallway to find Jack._

_Letty watched warily as she left before shaking her head and heading out to her car with her things and went to pick up Mia. She explained to the younger girl that Alyssa had gotten a different ride home that day, but that she would still be at the store in an hour. Mia had given her a quizzical look but decided against asking questions for the time being. Letty went into the store briefly with Mia to speak with her mother who was working part-time at the Toretto's store during the day before taking off to the garage._

_After about an hour and a half at the garage, the office phone rang. Letty heard Dominic answer it and listened intently to the muffled, one-sided conversation._

"_What do you mean she's not there yet?" he grumbled. "Wait, Letty said what?" he demanded. Letty herself winced, knowing she was in for it. "I'll take care of it", Dominic muttered finally, and hung up the phone._

_Letty was attempting to crawl completely under a car to be out of sight when Dominic came out of the office, letting the door bang as he saw her. He stopped next to the car she was working on and cleared his throat at her pointedly. "Did you want something?" Letty muttered from under the car._

_He squatted down and grabbed her leg and wheeled her out using the scooter she was lying on against her. "Got something you should tell me?" he questioned, tone unamused._

"_No", she choked out when she saw his glare._

"_Letty, where's Alyssa?" he demanded. "She should have been at the store half an hour ago."_

"_She got a ride home", Letty said finally._

"_With __**who**__", he growled._

"_Jack Parsons", she squeaked, and winced._

"_Hell no", he stated decisively. He went to the office and came back with his keys gripped tightly in one hand._

"_Dominic, what are you going to do?" Letty demanded, scrambling to get up._

"_First, I'm going to kill _him_, then I'll kill her, and when I finish, I'll come back here and have a little chat with you", he said over his shoulder as he walked out. "Letty, go to the store", he shouted as the door slammed. Letty figured if that was the worst of it, she would gladly take the punishment._

_Letty sprinted towards the office as Dominic roared his car's engine to life and peeled out of the driveway. Vince caught her around the waist before she got the door open. "What are you doing?"_

"_I'm gonna call her and tell her to run for her life", Letty said exasperatedly._

_Vince shook his head, "No", he said succinctly. "Let Dom handle it; it's between them. She knows better."_

"_Dammit, Vince", Letty complained. "Fine, but if he kills someone, I'm holding you responsible", she grumbled and went for her keys._

_--_

_Alyssa practically pushed Jack to the floor when she heard the front door slam shut. She chanced a look at the clock on the wall and winced, knowing she had lost track of time. When Dominic appeared in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, Alyssa wished herself to melt through the floor – obviously it didn't work. He stalked over and all but dragged Jack out of the house by his ear and told him to 'get the fuck out' before slamming the front door even harder than he had the first time and came back into the living room._

_Alyssa stood up warily, wanting to be somewhat on an even playing field height-wise, "I'm-"_

_He interrupted her, nearly snarling down at her, inches away from her face, "What the _fuck_ were you thinking?!"_

"_I lost track of time", she admitted._

"_That is _not_ why I am beyond angry right now. You stay away from that guy", he demanded dangerously._

_She snorted angrily, "You can_not_ tell me who-"_

_She shut up instinctively – mostly out of shock – when he turned her over the side of the couch and landed five swats on her backside and was whirled back around before she could let out a shriek of either pain or indignation. "Dad's house rules stand when he's not home: no boys in the house", he growled at her. _

_He was halfway up the stairs when she finally found her voice, "Dominic Toretto, you have absolutely no right-"_

"_Shut up and go change", he ordered. "You're coming to the garage."_

_Alyssa waited a few seconds before following him upstairs to change. She got a look at herself in the full length mirror in their bedroom and groaned. _He could have warned her that she was in a complete state of disarray._ She pulled her red tank top down to recover her stomach and pulled a dark blue t-shirt over it deciding to keep on her dark wash jeans, she just pulled her hair up with a scrunchie and went back downstairs – intent on ignoring Dom._

_She followed him to the car and got in the front passenger seat silently, staring out the window. She heard him sigh before he put the key in the ignition, "You'll thank me later", he said quietly. She barely stopped from snorting at the ridiculousness of the idea and said nothing as they drove the few short minutes to the garage in a painful silence. When they pulled into the driveway, he grabbed her arm before she could get out, "This is the last thing I'm going to say about this, but from now on, you clear extra-curricular activities with me", he said. She nodded and shook him off as she got out of the car._

_She walked into the garage in a huff, barely refraining from punching Vince in the face as he muttered, "Someone's in _trouble_", as she passed. She just clearly told him to, "Fuck off", instead and headed towards the office. They didn't currently have anything in the garage that she actually knew how to fix, so she was relegated to the paperwork that no one had time for._

_She let the door shut quietly behind her and sat at the desk. She stared at it blankly for a moment and made a face. Groaning, she went back to the door and opened it, yelling, "Dominic, would you _stop_ screwing up my filing system!"_

"_I wouldn't have to if I knew what the hell you did to everything", he shot back from under the hood of a car._

"_Idiot", she grumbled. "Stay out of the papers; now I have to fix everything again", she complained going back into the office._

"_Dude, aren't you guys fighting?" Vince asked._

"_No", Dom said, "And we're dropping this conversation."_

"_Don't get bent outta shape; I didn't do anything", Vince grumbled._

_Things proceeded as normal until Mr. T. came back to the shop around seven. Following him was his sister – who everyone called Aunt Rita. Rita was in her early thirties and still looked quite young. Her hair was long and dark like Mia's was, but it was wavy instead of straight and was layered halfway down her back._

_Alyssa came out of the office when Mr. T. called for her. She stood on her tip-toes to give him a kiss on the cheek and said hello before hugging the woman next to him. "Hi, Aunt Rita", she said with a grin._

"_Oh, I see how it is", Mr. T. said with a laugh._

_Alyssa laughed and blew him a kiss. "I just saw you this morning."_

_He reached in his pocket and dangled a key over her head, "So I suppose you won't want to be starting your driving lessons this week then", he teased._

_Alyssa look up at him startled, "Seriously?"_

_Rita ruffled her hair, "What were you doing back in that office, girly. Your hair is a disaster", she said with a laugh._

"_Trying to fix Dominic's mess", she tattled. "He took everything apart to find something that was sitting on the desk", she rolled her eyes._

"_We wouldn't have this problem if your 'system' made some sort of logical sense", Dominic disputed raising an eyebrow._

"_Oh my god - it's alphabetical, you moron!" she said exasperatedly. She heard Vince unsuccessfully stifle a laugh from behind her._

"_Then why the heck was the Ford file after the Volkswagen?" he demanded._

"_It's alphabetized by the _people_, not the cars", she complained. "Someone make it stop", she whined motioning towards him and covering her face._

"_You could have told me that", he growled._

_Alyssa wisely decided to keep her mouth shut and just shook her head. "So are you excited?" Rita questioned with a grin._

"_To drive? Absolutely", Alyssa said forcing excitement as she went to give the man still holding the keys a side hug. His arm still around her shoulder as she stood next to him, Alyssa chanced a glance at Dom who returned with a pointed look and she bit her bottom lip guiltily and looked away. The nervous spasm in her stomach definitely wasn't excitement – more like guilt._

_--_

_They had closed the shop and went back to the house for dinner, leaving nothing remaining of Rita's spaghetti and homemade garlic bread. A few hours later, Rita offered Letty a ride down the street to her place and they both left. Mia went upstairs to finish her homework because she didn't want to put it off, and Mr. T. went to bed early, while Alyssa settled on the couch to play video games with Vince and Dominic. _

_After Alyssa lost twice in a row, she passed the controller back to Dom and went upstairs. She smiled when she found Mia sprawled on her bed, head in the books, already asleep and went to wake her up. She crouched down next to the bed and shook the younger girl's shoulder gently. "Come on, Mia, you don't want to sleep like that", she said._

_Mia picked her head up and groaned, "I can't believe I fell asleep", she complained sitting up._

_Alyssa chuckled, "You were looking pretty tired earlier." She picked the books up from the bed and moved them to the desk. "Go to bed; I'll help you with this stuff tomorrow, alright?" she bargained._

"_Fine", Mia conceded. "Who thinks giving history tests on Mondays are a good idea? Mrs. Rathborn is insane", she grumbled as she went to the dresser and dug out a pair of pajamas._

"_Ah, come on, Mia, the French Revolution was awesome", Alyssa teased._

"_Oh, shut up", Mia groused as she headed out the door to the bathroom. _

_Alyssa just sat on her bed and laughed until she decided to go get her own pajamas to change into and waited for Mia to come out of the bathroom for her turn. Mia came back a few minutes later and flopped back in bed and passed out immediately after she pulled the covers up muttering, "Night."_

_Alyssa shook her head and headed to the bathroom. After she finished in there, she headed purposefully towards Dom's closed door with a sigh. She knew he was still awake, and she was dreading the conversation they were about to have. She knocked on the door quietly and walked in without waiting for an answer, shutting the door behind her._

_He was sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard looking at some magazine and didn't glance up when she walked in uninvited. She leaned against the door and watched him warily. "Did you want something?" he rumbled finally._

"_I'm sorry", she muttered grudgingly._

"_Doesn't sound like it", he said raising an eyebrow at her slightly._

_She groaned and crossed the room silently and waited for his nod before crawling next to him in the bed and lay on her back, using one of his pillows. "You knew", she whispered. "Your dad-"_

"_I'm a guy; I understand the whole 'sneaking around' thing", he said, finally looking down at her. "Dad would have grounded you, and you would have deserved it. But that guy", he growled, "You're such a fucking idiot."_

_The burning in her eyes sneaked up on her, and she slapped away a few tears that made it down her face, "I know", she hissed._

_Dom groaned and moved down on the bed and pulled her to him, "Oh, for Christ's sake", he grumbled._

_She slapped his chest, "Shut up, you shithead." She rested her head on his shoulder and wiped at her eyes. "I know I'm an idiot; I'm sorry. Will you just hold me, please?"_

_His hand travelled the length of her hair, "Alright; just go to sleep", he said quietly._

_That was the first time they slept in the same bed._

--

"What the _fuck_?" Vince complained. He and the guys had come back in shortly after they had started rehashing and they were now sitting with them at the table waiting for the grill to heat up. "That was messed up, Dom", he growled.

"We-" Dom started, clearly misinterpreting the statement, but Alyssa didn't, and she snapped.

"Shut up, Vince", she growled back at him. "Don't you dare act upset that he covered for me when you know damn well he did the same for you!"

"Why the hell not? He shoulda let Mr. T. bust your ass", he stated clearly, "And take away your driving privileges."

"And he should have done the same to you when you sneaked out of the house when you were both already grounded to go to that party and came home at four-thirty in the morning piss drunk", Alyssa returned flatly. She had felt the rumble in Dom's chest against her back that she knew signaled him gearing up for a shouting match. But she didn't need him to defend her from Vince.

"Why didn't I hear about that?" Mia asked.

Alyssa sighed, "You were spending the night at Letty's." She looked at Vince again, a clear warning for him to keep his mouth shut in her eyes. "You were _so_ lucky that Mr. T. didn't wake up. You were completely drunk and not making any effort to keep quiet trying to get into the back door to go through the garage. I thought someone was breaking in and it took me five minutes to wake Dom up – 'cause he sleeps like a _rock_. And we go through the kitchen to find it's just _you_", she paused to glare up at Dom who just looked down at her innocently – obviously remembering what had happened next. "_Dominic_ convinced me to help him get you into the house and down to your room. And just to be clear, I was annoyed at being woken up and was going to leave you on the porch."

Vince snorted, "And?"

"And we managed to _stagger_ you down to the basement, and right before we pushed you into bed _you threw up on me_ as a thank you. So yeah, I thought we should have let Mr. T. find you and bust _your_ ass. Never mind that you were seventeen – he would have tanned your hide anyways. But no, I covered for you, _Dom_ covered for you. Quit acting like a chick and get over it", she hissed. "Don't be an asshole about something that happened nearly ten years ago. If you have a problem, say so, or else shut your mouth."

They had a glaring contest for a few tense seconds before Leon cleared his throat and broke the silence, "Guys, the grill is probably ready", he said quietly.

Vince got up and went out the kitchen door, slamming it loudly behind him. "What the hell's wrong with him?" Brian asked in confusion.

"I don't know", Dom said slowly.

"I'd bet it's something about me – but I'm not sure what", Alyssa said tilting her head.

"Aren't you gonna go deal with that?" Dom muttered in her ear, "Or should I?"

"I'll take care of it later", she said. "A better question: Are you going to leave him alone with flames?"

Dom groaned and pushed her off his lap while he stood up. "Come on guys, let's go outside."

Alyssa saw Jesse and Leon looking at each other warily as everyone walked out. She frowned realizing that she had been neglecting two of her favorite people. She sidled under Leon's arm in a side hug and reached over to ruffle Jesse's hair. "I've definitely missed you guys", she said grinning.

Leon looked down at her, "Wanna tell me what's wrong with Vince?" he asked pointedly.

Alyssa sighed, "I honestly don't know. I mean, I have something in my head nagging me, but it's fuzzy – I don't know what it is", she grumbled.

"The brain fuzzies suck", Jesse said seriously.

Alyssa giggled, "No shit, bro."

"Especially when nothing else is up there", Leon teased ruffling her hair.

She growled at him playfully, "Watch it, bud, I'll take you down", she threatened.

Leon grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder unceremoniously. "Come on, let's go get some grub", he said.

Alyssa shrieked, "Put me _down_", she laughed and smacked his back. He just ignored her and followed Jesse outside.

--

"Oh my god", Alyssa complained from a high-backed chair in the living room. "He could have gotten us kicked out having that camera in there. That would have been bad for business", she grumbled.

Brian chuckled, "At least he was _trying_ to be discreet with it", he said.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "_Trying_ being the operative word. Rome is as discreet as a rhino stampede."

Everyone was settled in the family room after dinner watching Brian and Alyssa's footage from Miami. They watched as the screen changed from a long scene at the beach where Alyssa had dumped a bucket of sand on Rome's head and he chased her down the beach to a close up of Alyssa and a tall, muscular man with blue eyes and black hair. Alyssa shot a quick look at Brian who was just a startled as she was. "I haven't watched this one", he defended.

She glared at him anyway. "Skip it she demanded."

"Al-" he sighed, "Come on. This wasn't-"

"Either shut up, or explain what's going on", Dominic demanded, interrupting their tired argument.

Alyssa shrunk back in the chair, "Never mind", she grumbled bringing her knees to her chest and rested her chin against them, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs, curling herself into a protective ball. She watched the scene silently; thankful the club they were at was so loud that their voices had been muffled.

_She was having an argument with the man in front of her, that much was apparent to everyone. Alyssa heard someone to the left of her growl in disapproval – she figured it was Vince – at the viciousness of the glare the man was giving her. Her posture was stiff, chin tilted in defiance at the man that was nearly a head and a half taller than her. She had grown up in a house full of boys – a height difference didn't intimidate her. Alyssa was clearly giving the man a piece of her mind and he wasn't happy about it._

_Brian appeared behind her and said something in her ear and she nodded and waived him off. Alyssa delivered a last parting shot and stalked off after Brian to the opposite end of the bar. The camera shut off._

"Who the hell was that?" Dom asked, looking between Brian and Alyssa.

There was several minutes of silence before Brian finally broke it with a sigh, "Nick Lawson", he said quietly. Alyssa shot him a warning look. "He's an… acquaintance", Brian said slowly.

"He's a narcissistic bastard", Alyssa muttered frowning.

Brian laughed aloud. "Yeah", he agreed. "But he's a narcissistic bastard that you had quite a bit of sexual tension with", he teased. Alyssa raised a pointed eyebrow at him and he promptly choked on his beer. "Aww, man", he groaned.

"I fucking hate that guy", Alyssa growled.

Brian sighed, "Sorry", he said quietly. "I didn't know."

"I've known him for years; he's never been my favorite person", she said finally. "Just drop it", she said.

"_Wait a minute_", Dom said tightly.

Alyssa closed her eyes and groaned, "What?" she hissed.

"He was the guy wasn't he?" Dom asked.

"_Dominic_", she pleaded, "Please don't ask."

"_Wasn't he?_" he snapped.

"What guy?" Mia interrupted.

Alyssa looked around the room briefly, remembering that they weren't alone. Her eyes finally landed on Dom's and she winced. He was _annoyed_. She gave him an even look in return. "Yes", she said flatly, "He was." Then she stood silently and went upstairs to her room and locked the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 8**_

_After Alyssa had passed her driver's test, she had been driving back and forth to her brother's house every other weekend, usually coming home sometime around three o'clock on Sunday afternoon. So she knew she would have some explaining to do as to why she was arriving seven hours early. She pulled up the driveway quietly and parked in her usual spot behind Dom's car._

_His was currently the only car in the driveway, and maybe if she was lucky, he would still be asleep and she could sneak past him. She made her way silently into the house and made it as far as the couch before she decided she was too tired to go upstairs just yet and wanted to take a nap. She had been driving since four-thirty and it was now nine o'clock and she was exhausted. She stretched out on the couch facing the cushions and fell asleep almost immediately._

_After about an hour, which felt like only several minutes, she was being shaken gently awake. She rolled over carefully to see Dom crouching down next to her face, "Umm, hi", she muttered._

"_Jesus, Ali, you look like shit", he hissed._

"_Well, aren't you the charmer?" she asked sarcastically._

"_What the hell's the matter with you? You're early, you don't look like you slept all night, and you've been crying", Dom groused._

_Alyssa sat up and winced, "I slept about two hours last night", she refuted. "And the rest… I don't want to talk about."_

_He stood and picked her up before she could protest, one arm behind her back and the other under her knees and carried her upstairs. "You need some sleep", he said carrying her towards his room that she had been occupying for the past few months._

"_No", she said quietly when they got to his door. "Dominic, put me down. I need a shower."_

_He chuckled, "You can sleep first. You look like you'll pass out standing up."_

"_Please don't make me say it, Dom", she pleaded. "Put me down."_

_He looked down at her worriedly and set her gently to the floor, "What happened?" he demanded._

_Her stomach churned violently and she rushed to the bathroom to throw up. However, she hadn't eaten in over twelve hours, so there was nothing in her stomach to come up. She heard him follow her, felt him sit on the floor behind her and move her hair from her face and his hand resting gently on her waist. _

_Finally her stomach stopped its violent spasms and she collapsed against his chest and began to cry. He held her and whispered words she couldn't make out in her ear. All she knew was that his voice could be incredibly soothing to her when he wanted it to be. "Baby", he murmured gently in her ear, when she finally quieted. It was an odd term of endearment for her to hear him use towards her and she nearly lost it again._

_Instead she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "I need a shower", she repeated hoarsely, ignoring his unspoken question._

_He sighed and turned her slightly in his lap and tilted her chin up at him. "What happened?" he asked softly. She averted her eyes for just a moment before letting him read her instead of answering verbally. She knew the exact moment he found the answer to his question because his jaw tensed and his hand on her waist tightened. He sighed, "Are you okay?" he asked finally._

_Alyssa raised an eyebrow and gave a derisive laugh, "Do I look okay to you?"_

"_No, you look like a mess, and not in a good way", he said honestly._

"_I feel disgusting, alright", she said flatly. "I wanted to at the time… now I just regret it."_

"_Drunk?" he questioned softly._

"_Just enough", she admitted._

"_I'm sorry", he said quietly._

_Alyssa shook her head, "Don't be, I made the decision, now I have to live with it."_

"_Did you- He- … are you-?" Dom muttered incoherently._

_She crawled from his lap slowly and let him help her up. "Dominic, do me a favor. Don't ask anything beyond 'are you okay', alright? I'm not okay, but we aren't going to talk about the rest of it. That would just be awkward."_

"_Did you at least use a condom?" he asked raising an eyebrow._

"_Yes, you ass", she growled at him. "I'm not that stupid. And you already know I'm on the pill – so fair warning: ask me anything else and I'll punch you in the face."_

_He let out a low laugh, "Sorry."_

"_Shut up and get out please", Alyssa said with a frown as she went to turn on the shower. When she didn't hear him leave, she turned back around and rolled her eyes. "Now what?" she asked quietly._

_He shook his head and walked towards her cautiously. "You're dead on your feet", he pointed out._

"_Yeah, and the sooner you get out, the sooner I can finish and get in bed", she said pointedly._

_He sighed, "Just shut up and let me help you", he muttered._

_Her eyebrows shot up, "You're not taking a shower with me, you moron."_

"_Not _with_ you", he agreed, "Just helping you with yours. And if you want to return the favor later…"_

_She rolled her eyes even as her mouth twitched, "No."_

"_I've seen you naked plenty of times", he said boredly. "It's not a big deal."_

"_First of all, yes it is. And second, I was just-" she stopped abruptly and shut her mouth._

_He sighed again, "Sweetheart, I don't care, stop being stubborn. Strip and get in", he said calmly and he leaned against the sink and stared at the wall._

"_This isn't necessary", she growled as she pulled her shirt over her head and unbuttoned her jeans, leaving them both in a pile on the floor._

"_Shut up and just listen to me for once; you look like you're about to pass out", he argued._

_She glared at him fiercely before removing her last articles of clothing and stepped into the shower and behind the curtain immediately. He waited a few seconds and then pulled his own t-shirt off, leaving on his cargo shorts, and stepped in behind her. He made her let him wash her hair, and it relaxed her enough that she was leaning most of her weight on him by the time he was done. He just kept a steadying hand on her waist while she scrubbed at her skin with the loofa, but he finally took it away from her and turned off the shower._

_He reached out for the towels that he had left on the rack and handed her one and used the other and they both stepped out._

_Once back in his room, he tossed her one of his shirts and a pair of her pajama pants that she had left on his floor. He grabbed himself a change of clothes and went back to the bathroom to get dressed. A few minutes later, her went back to his room to find her standing awkwardly next to the bed and sighed. "Stop acting like a pod person and get in the bed", he said flatly._

_Alyssa raised a reproachful eyebrow at his tone, because… well, where the hell did Mr. Sensitive go? "Fine", she grumbles, figuring that Dom must have drowned Mr. Sensitive in the bathroom – she couldn't really blame him. She gets in bed and moves over, lying on her side. He's watching her carefully, and she huffs twice – obnoxiously – before he follows and sits next to her, leaning against the headboard. "What are you even doing home?" she asks softly. "I thought you'd be at the garage with everyone else._

_Dom rolled his eyes, "Dad heard I had a Chemistry test tomorrow and I'm supposed to be studying."_

_Alyssa smirked up at him. "Should apologize or say you're welcome for interrupting you then?" she asked._

"_I think the second would be more appropriate", he agreed with a grimace._

_She rolled her eyes, "Go get your book and keep me company while I sleep."_

"_Like I'll be able to study while you're snoring", he teased._

"_Dom, I don't snore, and you know it", she argued. He laughed and got up and went over to the desk and grabbed the thick text book and his notes. He flopped down on the bed next to her and propped the book on his chest and began reading. "Don't get too comfortable", she chided. "You can't fall asleep too."_

"_I got my sleep last night", he reminded with a soft smile._

_She glared half-heartedly, "I'm aware of that", she replied snippily. "I'm pretty sure last night was a twelve on the stupid scale for me, thanks."_

"_I thought we agreed the stupid scale only went to ten", he said._

"_Exactly", she muttered._

"_You gonna be okay?" he asked quietly._

_She shrugged noncommittally, "Ask me after I catch up on my sleep", she responded softly._

_He ran a soothing hand through her hair and moved slightly, "Come 'ere", he said._

_She moved over and curled into his side, resting her head on his arm, "Thanks", she murmured sleepily as she began to doze off._

--

Alyssa heard two sets of feet coming up the stairs before there was a knock on her door. She crawled off the bed and went to unlock the door and open it: _Dom and Letty._ "You okay?" Letty asked.

Alyssa nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got taken by surprise", she muttered. "Stupid Rome", she growled. She stepped out into the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Dom asked seriously.

"To talk to Vince", she said with a sigh.

"You sure?" he questioned skeptically.

She nodded, "Yeah." Alyssa stood on her toes and kissed his cheek and gave Letty a side-hug. "Night, guys", she said before going down the stairs. She was just glad she didn't have to deal with Dominic right now. He could yell at her later.

She followed the stairs all the way down to the basement and picked up the trail again when she heard the sound of the electric guitar not plugged into the amplifier. She knocked on the door sharply and heard a grumbled response. Alyssa went in and shut the door behind her. She leaned against it casually. "You wanna tell me what the hell is wrong with you?" she asked mildly.

He gave her a calculating look, which she figured was supposed to make her squirm, but she just folded her arms across her chest and gave him a level look in return. He finally growled at her in annoyance and stood. "Ya know, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm really fucking _sick_ of all the secrets in this family", he said flatly.

She sighed, "V, come on-"

"No, would you seriously shut up for a minute?" he demanded.

She raised her eyebrows and took a step in his direction, "I don't know who you think you're talking to, but you don't get to talk to me like that", she said calmly. He grumbled under his breath something about her having a 'mother-complex', but she let it go. If he did it again she was going to deck him.

"I always wondered why you left", he said. "I always thought it was because of Letty."

She gave him a look: _are you kidding me?_ "You thought Dom cheated on _Letty_? With _me_? Do you really think that either of us would _do_ that?" Alyssa asked incredulously.

"How the hell was I supposed to know that Dom was just being sensible for once?" he argued. "Not that I think he should have shipped you off like that", he said back-pedaling.

"I heard that you asked him that, but I didn't believe you actually thought we did for real", she said exasperated. "Didn't you get a clue when Letty burst out laughing?"

He scowled and she bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh, "Well, no one could give me a straight answer, and knowing how you two were, it was the only thing I could think of that made sense. I knew no one else could make you leave", he growled.

"Jesus Christ, Vince", she complained. "After _everything_ that we've all been through, you really thought Dom and I were both that stupid, that's good to know."

"And do I want to know what happened upstairs?" he continued like she hadn't said anything.

"What are you talking about?" she asked tiredly.

"I'm just startin' to wonder how many secrets you and Dom got that none of us know about", he said, clearly aggravated.

"Oh for fuck's sake", she rolled her eyes. "If I recall correctly, you and I have a few secrets between us", she said pointedly. "Unless you've told Dom everything that happened while he was in prison since I've been in San Francisco – which I know you haven't."

"Of course not", he said, obviously affronted.

Alyssa sighed, "Exactly my point, V. We did what we had to at the time – every single one of us has. Don't be a hypocrite about it." She walked past him and stretched out on his bed.

He groaned and followed her, shoving her over. "Alright, fine. So I didn't tell Dom that nearly got raped-"

"Or that you nearly killed the guy", she reminded quietly.

"Or how Mia's college classes got paid off", Vince said, raising an eyebrow at her.

She snickered; they had had an interesting discussion about that topic. "Well, that was different", she argued. "I didn't really _do_ anything. And from the response I got, I'd say it served them right", she made a face. "Besides, we told Mia – so I don't feel too bad about it."

_As a last ditch effort for her parent's approval, she had sent them her acceptance letter to UCLA. Two months later she got a check in the mail covering four years' tuition plus another fifty thousand dollars – and a letter that politely told her not to contact them again. Deciding that she really didn't want to go to college she put it in a savings account for the time being, seeing as Vince had nearly cried at the amount and wrestled it away from her, when she had in a rage, threatened to burn it. When Mia had graduated with honors the next year, Alyssa really couldn't think of a better present._

"Goddamn, I can't believe you really would have burned that", he complained, still incredulous.

She shrugged helplessly, "I was pissed."

"You were _insane_ that day", he refuted. "I thought you were gonna go smash someone's _car_."

"Nope, just went and got trashed instead", she said with a shudder. "That was probably the worst hangover of my _life_."

He chuckled, "I remember. It took you until the next night for it to kick in though. I was sure you had alcohol poisoning. You were drunk the entire next day."

She snorted, "Yeah, seeing as I probably drank for six hours straight. At least I didn't throw up on you", she said with a glare.

He had the decency to look sheepish, "Sorry about earlier."

She elbowed him in the side just hard enough to hurt and nodded, "Pull shit like that with me again and I _will_ kick your ass."

"_Damn_, woman, you've got the pointiest fucking elbows", he hissed.

She nodded sedately and hummed at him. "And why are we acting like I was the only one causing trouble while Dom was playing zebra?" she asked, acting offended. "Didn't I bail you out of jail _twice_ for bar fights?"

He laughed, "Yes – but, my god, Dom didn't have to wear stripes."

She grinned, "Like that ugly-ass orange color was any better."

Vince shrugged playfully, "I thought he looked good."

"Oh, ya did not", Alyssa laughed aloud.

"No, he looked like a mutant Halloween pumpkin", he said.

She reached over and flicked the side of his head grinning, "We're really mean", she stated finally.

"Eh", he muttered, "It's just part of our charm."

"True", she agreed.

"You can stay if you don't steal the covers", he said.

"I don't steal covers", she grumbled as she shifted to make herself comfortable.

"Yeah, you do, and you're a bed-hog besides", Vince griped.

She kicked his shin, "If your snoring wakes me up, I'll smother you with a pillow."

--

_The whole crew was sitting in the family room watching a movie, and was for the most part, silent. Alyssa looked around skeptically. Dom had gotten home on Friday – now it was Tuesday, and while they were thrilled to have him back, a lot had happened over the past eighteen months he had been behind bars, and everyone was still trying to adjust. _

_She quirked a grin at Leon and Jesse. They had shown up about eight months ago – Leon had gone to high school with them for two years, but had moved to Arizona temporarily with his family when his aunt had been killed in a car accident, to stay with his cousin Jesse. Seeing as Jesse's father was in prison, when Leon's family moved back to Los Angeles, Jesse had come with them. Alyssa had offered them jobs at the garage and things became a lot more interesting._

_Alyssa glanced across the room when she saw Dominic out of the corner of her eye get up and walk out through the kitchen and out the front door. She winced internally, knowing her was headed to the garage. The past few days had been odd in that regard. Dom had stayed away from the garage – inconspicuously, of course – until now. Alyssa wondered absently if he was going to trash the place._

_She watched the television screen, fidgeting nervously, until she realized that _everyone_ was staring at her. "What?" she snapped._

"_Ali, I think you should go out there", Vince suggested, motioning to the outside._

"_And why not you?" she asked sarcastically._

"'_Cause", he said with a shrug._

_She rolled her eyes, "Anyone got a better idea?"_

"_You're the only one who can handle my brother", Mia said dryly._

"_Bullshit", she growled. "I'm just the only one currently willing to let him shout at me without being intimidated. Bunch of pansy-ass chickens", she muttered._

"_I'd do it", Vince said, "but he doesn't handle my particular brand of tough love very well."_

_Alyssa sighed, giving up, "I don't think he's looking for a fight, but I'd better make sure he's not smashing the Charger." She stood up and looked at Letty until she received a nod. She hadn't exactly had time to speak to Dominic about Letty yet. She looked around the room in disgust, landing on three sets of eyes in particular, "Who the fuck made me everyone's mommy?" she growled in annoyance._

_Mia laughed lightly, "Well, you're sort of my mommy", she reminded._

"_You're over eighteen now, baby girl", Alyssa refuted with a smile._

"_You gonna stop being so bossy then?" Mia teased._

"_Hell no, you brat", she said swatting Mia's ponytail as she walked past. "And seriously guys, clean all this shit up before we get back", she motioned to the empty bowls and wrappers lying around. "It's the least you could do", she grumbled. Alyssa squeezed Letty's shoulder comfortingly as she passed, grabbed her keys and headed out to the garage. It was about a ten minute walk, and she knew Dom hadn't taken a car, but the discussion with the 'trouble triplets', as she had started calling them, had eaten away most of that time – and it was a five minute drive. She thought about driving around the block once, but saw the garage lights on and pulled up the gravel driveway._

_She walked slowly to the side door and saw Dom in the window, facing away from it, but standing fairly close. Alyssa sighed, determination taking over as she opened the squeaky door with a wince and stepped inside. She leaned against the door, pushing it shut with her back, and stayed put – silently waiting._

"_You draw the short stick?" he asked finally. His voice was a mixture of amusement and annoyance that warned her to tread lightly, and he didn't turn to face her._

"_Nope", she stated ruefully, "Lost a bet. It was either this or do Vince's laundry", she countered. She could see just enough of his profile that she could tell he was fighting off a smile._

"_Not much of a choice is it?" he chuckled. _

"_Almost anything else if preferable", she agreed. "Whatcha doing?" she asked, letting only curiousness come through her voice._

"_Bungee jumping", he said dryly._

_Alyssa rolled her eyes and walked around to stand in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow. She knew it wasn't intimidating, but that wasn't the point. "Dominic", she said flatly._

"_Why the hell do you always ask questions that you already know the answer to?" he growled at her._

"_Same reason you do – it's annoying", she replied._

"_You are _very_ aware how I feel about emotional bullshit", he stated._

_Then she did smile at him, taking him off-guard, "Who's getting emotional?" she asked innocently._

"'_Lyssa", he warned._

"_Alright, fine", she said, dropping her sense of humor – or maybe it ran away… to Scandinavia. "Have your pity party, do whatever you've got to do to get your life back, Dom – I'm all for that. But don't you dare act like you have to deal with this shit by yourself."_

"_Al-"_

"_No, this is what you wanted, right? Someone to yell at you? So shut up and listen. You fucked up, buddy", she stated clearly, ignoring that he was advancing on her. "You lost your goddamn temper and you fucking left us here. You suffered the consequences of your actions, you paid for it already. I know you have a guilty conscience, and that's something you need to make peace with yourself about. But stop acting like you're alone in this", she hissed. "We suffered just as much as you did for your actions, and you pretending otherwise is just selfish." She groaned internally: she was channeling Vince, for god's sake._

_He forced her backwards roughly until her back was pressed against the back of a red Chrysler they were working on, and he was towering over her. She was fairly certain he wanted to punch her – but she knew he wouldn't. "Do you really think that was wise?" he asked in a low tone._

_She rolled her eyes, "What are you? The Ghost of Christmas Future?" she mocked._

"_Do you ever use common sense?" he growled._

_She raised an eyebrow passively, "You're trying to intimidate me?" she asked incredulously. "Seriously? It's not gonna work." He just stared down at her with that look she had come to hate, but she didn't flinch. She finally sighed, "I trust you – so knock this shit off", she said attempting to push him away from her._

"_What's the problem?" he asked blandly – pretending like he wasn't pressing her flat against the car so she couldn't budge._

"_Would you get out of my personal bubble", she demanded._

"_Why?" he asked curiously._

_She looked up at him incredulously to find that he was serious. "For starters, you are teasing my girly parts, and you are absolutely _not_ fucking me-"_

_The fucker was laughing. "That's not exactly what I meant – but thanks for the visual."_

_Alyssa smacked him, "Then just _what_ the hell are you talking about?" He studied her long enough that she finally tilted her head at him in comprehension. "I think I'm having an aneurysm", she complained. "You could have answered my damn question." He just smirked at her infuriatingly. "I'm not going to rattle off a list of your good qualities, you ego maniac", she said. "I said I trust you – I meant it._

_He nodded once, "Okay", he said and stepped back slightly. "You the only one who was gonna shout at me?" he asked with a laugh._

_She groaned, "Dammit, Dom, you made me!" she protested._

"_Well, fuck, no one else was going to", he growled._

_She rolled her eyes at his mood swing, "To be fair", she sighed, "Vince didn't want to get punched in the face – again", she muttered._

_He raised an eyebrow, "Who punched Vince in the face why?" he asked curiously._

_Alyssa let out a giggle, "I did", she admitted._

_Dom coughed, "Last month when I saw him and he had a black eye… you did that?"_

_She buried her face in her hands and nodded slightly, "Just a few days before. He told me he told you that he got into a bar fight", she muttered into her hands._

"_Can't really blame him for that one", Dom said in amusement. "Did he deserve it?"_

_Alyssa looked up finally and nodded in annoyance, "You have no idea", she grumble, "Never learned when to shut his trap."_

_Dom chuckled, "No, he didn't." They stood in a companionable silence for a few minutes and Alyssa looked across the garage to where the Charger sat – still covered. She was wondering if he had seen it yet when he spoke again. "I never said thank you", he said._

_She shook her head in confusion, "For what?" she asked softly._

"_For keeping all this together", he said gesturing vaguely, "And being here for them."_

_She looked up at him warily, "Don't do that", she warned._

"_When I asked you… I thought Aunt Rita would be here", he stated quietly._

_She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, "Dom-"_

"_I never thought you would have to do this alone", he said finally. "I never would have asked you-"_

_Alyssa looked up in surprise, "I wasn't alone. Vince was here. And, well he- he's smarter than you'd think", she said with a laugh. "He did a lot", she said quietly. "They're not upset with you."_

_He quirked a brow, "Just you?" he asked._

_She hissed in annoyance, "No, I'm not. Do I wish you would have just punched the guy in the face and walked away? Damn right. I'd like us to all move on with our lives."_

"_You were just acting like a pissed off hellcat", he argued._

_She glared at him, "You wanted someone to yell at you, so I obliged for once."_

_Dom squinted at her for a minute, "Oh", he said finally._

"_Yeah, 'oh'", she repeated sarcastically. "Now say thank you and stop looking at me like that", she growled._

"_Thank you", he stated dutifully._

_Alyssa rolled her eyes, "You're welcome."_

"_Not just about that, for everything", he said seriously._

_She opened her mouth to snap at him, but changed her mind and sighed, "I know." She stepped away from him and headed towards the back of the garage._

"_Where are you going?" he asked curiously._

"_I'm gonna sit down, read a magazine and shut up for once", she called back and curled up in the corner of their couch, knees drawn to her chest, and started flipping through a dog-eared magazine. She felt him still watching her and looked up. "Go look around", she hinted pointedly._

_He rolled his eyes in annoyance, "I hate scavenger hunts", he grumbled. "Especially since I don't have a clue what the hell I'm looking for."_

_She smirked, "Go find a car."_

"_Gee, thanks", he said sarcastically. "That's ever so helpful in a _garage_."_

_She snickered, "Be glad I didn't tell you to find the monkey wrench. Vince lost it two weeks ago and still doesn't know it's in the bottom left drawer of the desk", she said not looking up from her page. "We've been sneaking it out to use it and putting it back when we're done", she laughed._

"'_He's smarter than you think'", Dom pantomimed outrageously from across the garage._

_Alyssa collapsed in a fit of giggles, "Dominic!" she protested. "Ow, dammit", she attempted to glare at him while she held her stomach. "Asshole", she grumbled. "He's a moron, but he's not stupid", she amended._

_Dom chuckled, "I know; just had to take advantage of the timing", he said honestly._

_She calmed herself and pointed at him sternly, "Go find a car", she repeated._

_He growled at her and she buried her nose in the pages again as he stomped off muttering under his breath. "'Go find a car.' There's like twelve goddamn cars in here!" he shouted._

"_Don't insult the car gods", Alyssa shouted back seriously._

_He whirled back around, "Did you just say 'car gods'?" he asked curiously._

_Alyssa nodded, "Listen next time Jesse has to say grace", she said with a soft, amused smile._

"_You got a soft spot for the kid, huh?" he wondered walking in her direction._

"_We all do", she said honestly. "He's the baby of the group. Jesse's wicked smart, but ADD makes him a little crazy", she explained. "You haven't seen him around the garage yet, but he's brilliant, Dom. He's the one who helped me computerize all our files – so much easier, by the way – and you aren't allowed to mess with them. And god, he loves cars. He just needs someone to look after him a bit. Surprisingly, Vince is really good with him. Vince calls Jesse 'the mad scientist", she laughed. "Jesse tried an evil laugh once, but he's too sweet for it, and we decided it was a no-go", she explained, "But we kept the nickname – he's seriously a car genius."_

"_Hero worship?" Dom teased._

"_A little bit", Alyssa admitted laughing. "He reminds me of a puppy sometimes though. Except he swats my hand away when I play with his hair." Dom snickered and she made a face. Then she sighed and pointed, "Go look under the tarp", she said softly._

_He looked at her momentarily startled then glanced at the covered car. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the outline of the car, "What the hell is that?" he all but growled at her._

"_Dominic, just go look", she said._

_He gave her a dirty look and walked slowly to the car, and without preamble, pulled the cover off. "How-" he started._

_Alyssa snorted and walked up behind him, "Is this or is this _not_ a car garage?" she asked seriously._

"_This car was in pieces", he said almost inaudibly._

"_Which is how we sweet-talked the guard at the impound lot to let us have it", she explained. "And we may have had a lot of spare time on our hands", she admitted, "At least enough for us to have some nervous energy. It's not finished; we thought maybe you would want to – later. It was cathartic for us, you know?" She ignored the incredulous look he was giving her and continued. "Obviously it's yours, you can do what you want with it", she said softly. Her hand was resting lightly on his arm, until he wound it around her shoulders. He leaned down and landed a kiss on her nose, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Vince told me to tell you that you're not allowed to smash it", she said smiling slightly. "I told him you could if you wanted to, but I swear Dom, if you smash that car, you'll fix the whole fucking thing by yourself", she said with a grin._

"_Not planning on smashing it", he admitted tugging on the ends of her hair._

"_Okay, good", she muttered._

"_Come on", he said after a minute. "Help me recover it, and you can drive me back to the house."_

_--_

_That night, Alyssa was digging through her purse for a few minutes before finally finding a white bottle and was about to unscrew it when Dom came back from the bathroom. "What the hell is that?" he asked seriously. _

_She had stayed in his room while he was gone, and hadn't quite gotten all of her stuff out of it yet. She had tried to sleep in Mia's room on his first night back, figuring he would want his bed to himself, but he had just tossed her over his shoulder and carried her back down the hall to his room again and dumped her on the bed. She decided to give up the argument for now – at least until she could talk to him about Letty._

_Alyssa opened the bottle, rolling her eyes. She dumped a white pill in her hand and tossed it in her mouth with some water from the glass she had sitting on the desk. "Vicodin", she said finally._

"_Where did you get that shit?" he demanded._

_She rolled her head backwards in annoyance and went to the door. "Vince!" she shouted, "Get your ass up here!" Vince was in the living room with Leon and Jesse watching a movie, and would no doubt all end up falling asleep on the couches._

_They heard footsteps on the stairs, and he appeared in the doorway. "What's with the shouting?" he grumbled._

_She held up the bottle. "Could you please tell Dominic that I have a prescription for these", she sighed._

_Instead of doing what she asked, Vince narrowed his eyes at her and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. He folded his arms over his chest, "I thought you finished those", he said seriously._

_She tilted her head at him, "I got a refill", she said carefully._

"_I thought you were going to be careful with those", he said pointedly._

_Her eyes widened, "I am", she said seriously._

_He sighed, "Why didn't you tell me your shoulder was still messed up?"_

"_It's not – it just hurts sometimes. I didn't rest it enough to begin with, so it's just taking longer to heal", she said quietly._

_He grabbed her chin and tilted it upwards, "I know we talked about this, and you promised you would tell me, but-"_

"_I'm not", she interrupted. "I only had one more refill, and it's even a lower dosage. I'm only taking one at night – and I'm not taking them on the weekends. Like it or not, I have to work", she reminded. "Once these are gone, I'm done."_

"_Promise", he said seriously._

_She nodded, "Yes, I promise."_

_He backed up slightly, "Okay, but you have to stop lifting shit", he scolded._

_She snorted, "Yeah, sure."_

"_What the hell is going on?" Dom demanded._

_They both looked over, startled seeing as they had forgotten that he was in the room. "Uh-" Vince started inarticulately._

_Alyssa elbowed him, "I wrenched my shoulder two months ago", she said blandly. "It definitely hurt."_

"_Do I want to know what happened", Dom asked tiredly._

"_Nope", Alyssa chirped happily._

_Vince snickered, "Pills kicked in already, huh?"_

"_Shut up, V. You can go away now", she sang and pushed him towards the door. "Nighty-night", she called flopping down on the bed. Vince laughed and opened the door._

"_Wait, you're gonna leave me here with her acting nuts?" Dom complained._

_Vince chuckled, "She's already in bed – that's half the work. Just push her over, she's nearly asleep", he said pointing, and then he walked out the door, closing it behind him._

"_Damn", Dominic muttered under his breath._

--

Alyssa woke the next morning with a squeak of indignation when she was rudely smacked on the rear end. She picked he face up off the pillow just enough that her voice wasn't muffled and growled, "Dominic Toretto, _what_ did I tell you about your hands going near my ass ever again?" No one else would ever wake her up like that, because she would have already tackled them to the floor.

"Do it again and you would chop them off", he monotoned quietly.

She sat up slowly and saw not only Dom, but Brian standing near the bed looking amused. She was closer to the wall then when she had fallen asleep; Vince was currently taking over more than half of the bed. "And he said _I_ was a bed-hog", she muttered.

"Come on, go get ready", Dom rumbled. "We're going for a drive – we need to talk", he said, motioning between them and Brian.

Alyssa chanced a look at Brian, who looked guilty, and she groaned. "Fine", she complained. She held out her arms, "Help me up", she said, "I'm stuck."

Dom chuckled, "Alright, come 'ere", he said, reaching over Vince and grabbing her hands, helping her into a standing position. She braced her hands on his shoulders and he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her over Vince and set her to the floor.

"God, he sleeps like a rock", Alyssa snickered, gesturing to Vince who was still asleep despite the rustling and the not-so-quiet chatter.

"Always did", Dom said nodding as they headed up the stairs. "Can I assume you straightened everything out with Vince?" he asked going into the kitchen.

Alyssa grabbed for a box of cereal and poured some into a bowl, "Yeah, everything's fine" she murmured.

"So he's not gonna be stomping around here all day then?" Brian teased.

Alyssa gave him a look, "I'd be quiet if I were you", she said. "I know that look on your face, and I'm probably going to hate you by the end of the day, aren't I?" she grumbled as she shoveled a few bites of cereal into her mouth.

He winced and sighed, "Yeah, probably."

Alyssa growled at him and stood up. She walked over and handed him her half-full cereal bowl, "I can't even eat my breakfast in peace", she whined.

He laughed and took a bite, making a face at her cereal choice, "I hate _Mini Wheat's_", he complained.

"Too bad", she sang.

"Go get ready", Dom said from his position leaning against the counter. "I want to leave in half an hour."

"Yeah, yeah, relax", she scolded. "I'm just gonna jump in the shower. I won't be long." And then she left the kitchen and ran the two flights of stairs to her room.

Twenty minutes later, she came back into the kitchen and found Brian and Dom sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. "I sincerely hope that you've each only had one cup of that – you two are not good when caffeinated", she said putting her hands on her hips.

Brian looked at her for a moment, tilting his head to the side and burst out laughing, "Hey!" he complained.

She huffed, "My god, _what_?"

He stood up and walked over to her. "That's my shirt", he pointed out.

She looked down in confusion. She stared thoughtfully for a minute and laughed. It _was_ his shirt, his black _West Coast Choppers_ t-shirt to be specific. She shrugged, "It was in my bag."

"I haven't seen that shirt since Miami", he pointed out.

Her mouth dropped, "Yeah, I must have grabbed it by accident – probably that time I stayed at your place when you went to Santa Fe", she said. "I've had it for so long, I didn't even think about where I got it."

"That figures", he grumbled.

Alyssa noticed Dom watching them curiously, now standing a few feet away, and smirked. "It looks better on me", she said nonchalantly. She peered over her shoulder to check out her backside, "These aren't your shorts too are they?" she teased.

He grabbed her in a headlock and messed up her still damp hair, and she shrieked indignantly, trying to smack him away as he wrestled her outside, "Dom let's go", he called over his shoulder laughing.

"Brian, I can't stand you!" she growled from under her arm. She heard a deep laugh behind her. "Shut up, Dominic", she hissed.

He laughed and walked past them on the path, "Yeah, yeah, I suck – get new material Ali-cat."

Brian dropped his grip on her instantly, knowing he was about to get punched in the face if he didn't. Alyssa ran down the path and jumped on Dom's back before he could turn around, smacking his arm, "You aren't allowed to call me that!" she shrilled as Brian caught up with them.

Dom chuckled, "Too bad. It fit when you were fourteen, and it still fits – you're stuck with it."

"How did I get stuck with you?" she whined half-heartedly.

"Just lucky, I guess" he said with amusement.

She sighed, "Yeah, I know." A few seconds later she leaned over his shoulder, "Since you love me, can I drive your car?" she asked persuasively, looking innocent.

"Hell no", he declared immediately. She leaned back and pouted while he carried her to the garage.


	9. Chapter 9

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N 1: Chapter 8 didn't get alerted properly, so make sure you read it before starting this one; and review. Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 9**_

Alyssa climbed out of the backseat of the Charger – which technically wasn't an actual backseat, more like a small wedge of space between the front seats and the end of the car – cautiously, "Never again", she muttered. "I'll ride on the roof on the way home", she grumbled to Dom who was grinning, "Too fucking fast."

"It wasn't that fast", Dom said. "You just need to get your 'speed legs' back", he said amusedly.

"It's 'sea legs', you moron – and I have them, just not from the backseat, geez", Alyssa grumbled, straightening herself out. "You got us here twenty minutes faster than I did the other day", she pointed out. Alyssa leaned against the back of the car facing Brian – who looked way too amused for her liking – and Dom who was outright laughing. "I hate you guys", she said in annoyance.

"Only because you love us so much", Brian teased. "And neither of us commented on your prowess in the backseat", he pointed out with a grimace.

"Brian, don't make me push you over the cliff", Alyssa said seriously, peering at him over her sun glasses for good measure. "Besides, neither of you know anything about my prowess in the backseat – or anywhere else – so that is a completely pointless statement."

"Do you threaten _anyone_ else have as much as you threaten him?" Dom asked curiously.

She laughed, "Nope."

"Her death threats make up most of our normal conversation", Brian agreed.

"Threats of physical violence, general pain inflicted on your person… the list goes on", Alyssa teased. "I don't usually mean it."

"_Usually_", Brian repeated. "And then there was the time she threw a giant stapler at my head at her brother's office", he said with a grimace.

Alyssa coughed, "I apologized for that", she said diplomatically. "And to be fair, you deserved it."

"Yeah, okay, maybe a little", he said good-naturedly.

"And I did warn you", she reminded. "I blatantly said that if you didn't shut up, that I was going to throw the giant stapler at you – I even waved it around for emphasis."

He nodded, "And now I duck and cover."

"Yeah, or you could just shut up", she said with a wry smile.

"Nah, what's the fun in that?" he grinned.

"No hospital trips to get stitches", she said with a shrug.

"Aw, c'mon", he laughed. "We had fun at the Miami Zoo", he pointed out.

She glared, "Ok, that's the _second_ time you've brought that up. Quit while you're ahead."

"Hey, you were the one who got us thrown out!" he laughed.

"I'm sorry, how the _hell_ did you get thrown out of a _zoo_?" Dom asked grinning incredulously.

Alyssa laughed then, "_God_, that was the best thing that happened to me that day. That entire weekend had sucked and Brian decided we should go to the zoo – _on a Sunday_. I told him I didn't want to – I had a hangover, and getting trampled by loud kids was not my idea of fun that morning. He came over anyways, letting himself into my apartment, and then was mad that I wasn't ready."

"I told you I was coming over", he laughed.

"And I told you to fuck off, 'cause I wasn't going, and you couldn't make me, and then I hung up on you. I thought I had made my point", she argued.

"Yeah, and _who_ went to the zoo?" he asked pinching her cheek.

She slapped his hand away viciously, "And this is why I threaten to hurt you", she said glancing at Dom exasperatedly. "_Then_", she continued, "He picked me up and carried me through the apartment-"

"You were _way_ too light", he muttered.

She glared at him, "-and dumped me in the shower – _still in my pajamas_ – and turned on freezing water." She reached over and swatted the back of his head as he laughed.

"It was nearly noon", he defended. "And you were having a pity party."

"So I was pissed the whole day", she continued, "And he was being-"

"I was _trying_ to get you out of your funky mood", he said raising an eyebrow. "And then out of pure frustration, I finally threatened to feed her to the puma because it looked hungry."

"And it was _staring_ at me", she said seriously.

"It totally was, too", Brian laughed, "It was awesome – until she punched me in the face."

She looked over sheepishly, "I'm sorry about that one. At least it wasn't that hard – it didn't even bruise."

"That's why you suddenly hate pumas?"Dom asked with a smirk.

"Obviously", she muttered. "And then, we got into a shouting match, and people started complaining, or watching in amusement – I think we were fighting over who ate the last of the leftover pizza by the time security got over to us", she said with a laugh. "They asked if we wanted the cops called, and Brian was like, 'oh, no, please don't'."

"They asked why, and she went all sweet, and was like 'he's a fugitive from the law and we don't want to get caught'", Brian glared at her, and Dom feigned a coughing fit.

"They thought I was kidding", Alyssa said calmly. "And to be fair, you weren't a fugitive anymore; your record was clear by then."

"You are _such_ a bitch when you're pissed", Dom said shaking his head.

"Yeah, and you don't hold grudges either", she said pointedly raising an eyebrow.

Dom shrugged, "You can blame that one on me too, I guess", he said good-naturedly.

"Oh, trust me, I do", she grinned. "And then they kindly asked us to 'please leave', so we did", she finished.

"I thought you said he ended up needing stitches", Dom reminded, interested.

Alyssa nodded, smirking evilly and Brian groaned. "We were walking under a tree to get to the parking lot because we cut through the grass. He wasn't watching where we were going, because he was too busy bitching at me, and ran into a low tree branch", Alyssa snickered. "He hit his head hard enough that it scratched and he needed three stitches."

Dom was laughing outright, "Brian, you're a moron", he stated.

"Thanks", Brian muttered dryly.

"It was great", she agreed. "One minute he was following me, the next, I turn around and he was sitting on the ground bleeding from the head." Alyssa cleared her throat pointedly after a minute, sitting on the trunk, and casually propped her feet on the bumper, getting ready to play queen. "Alright", she said seriously, "If we're all done with this shit-fuckery, can we get to the point?" she asked, eyeing them both.

Brian shifted nervously and folded his arms over his chest, "Uh, well-"

She groaned, "God, Brian, what did you do?"

Dom raised an eyebrow, "How'd you know it was him?" he wondered curiously.

Alyssa huffed and rolled her eyes, "I _know_ him. He's doing that 'I did something epically stupid' twitchiness bullshit", she complained.

"That's an exaggeration", Brian refuted, even as his left eye twitched.

Alyssa burst out laughing, "How the hell did you ever make it as an agent?"

"I wasn't intimidated by those guys", he defended.

"Uh-huh, _sure_", she drawled.

"Okay, so maybe they just recruited me 'cause I look good in a suit?" he questioned.

Alyssa shook her head dramatically, "No way. Brian, wearing a suit just makes you look like a punk."

"Great", he muttered.

"Face it, babe, you're a natural born hobo", she said with a grin.

Brian had opened his mouth to argue, but Dom interrupted their conversation. "I've never asked, but I'm kind of wondering just how well you two know each other – and _why_", he said seriously.

Alyssa looked at Brian and wrinkled her nose playfully, "Definitely didn't sleep with him", she said with a laugh. "No offense, Bri."

He chuckled, "No, I feel the same about you", he agreed. "That would just be weird."

"Agreed", she said with a nod. "Dom, what are you frowning about over there?" she asked carefully.

He stared back at her for a minute before answering vaguely, "You two confuse me", he admitted.

Alyssa and Brian looked at each other and laughed, "Damn, we gotta get Rome to visit", she said. "I _told_ you they were exactly alike."

"Yeah, yeah, you did", he admitted indulgently.

"Should I be worried?" Dom asked with a sigh, watching them like they were two kids plotting trouble.

"Nah, dude", Alyssa said with a smirk, "You'd love Rome's brand of malarkey."

Brian gave an exaggerated groan, "You shouldn't have used the word 'malarkey'", he hissed in a stage-whisper.

She laughed, "Oops." Alyssa looked at Dom, "And he eats like a horse – just like Vince. He says he's got a-"

"-fast me_tabo_lism", Brian finished, using Rome's exaggerated way of saying it.

Alyssa laughed, "Yeah _boy_!"

Brian shook his head, "Ali, I thought we agreed you wouldn't _say_ that anymore", he reminded.

She stuck her tongue out at him and blew a raspberry, "You told me not to, I didn't _agree_."

"That's mature", he groused. She grinned at him until his lips twitched. "Can't you let me be annoyed?"

"Nope", she said satisfied.

"How often", Dom asked slowly, "Did you two see each other while you weren't with us?"

"Epic fail", Alyssa muttered under her breath.

Brian coughed out a laugh, "That was inappropriately funny", he said. "It totally didn't go there."

She grinned, and gave a side-glance, knowing the joke went over Dominic's head, "But it worked", she snickered, "Not subtle – and that was a perfect 'that's what she said' joke".

"It total-? Oh, _god_", Brian laughed. "Only you would think of that."

"Hey, I grew up in the same house as Vince, what do you expect?" she laughed.

"Could you two possibly have a three-person conversation?" Dom asked raising an eyebrow.

Brian laughed, "I don't think we've ever tried to", he admitted.

"That would require one of us shutting the hell up", Alyssa added. Brian gave her a pointed look.

"And I noticed that neither of you answered my question", Dominic stated.

"What was- _oh_, umm, a lot", she said shrugging weakly.

Dom raised his eyebrows at her, clearly unimpressed with her answer, "And just what the hell does that mean?" he demanded.

"It was kind of… a lot", Brian added.

Dom glared and Alyssa laughed. "Dominic, what is your problem?" she asked. "I told you we didn't sleep together, and you're still all cranky."

"What the hell does 'a lot' mean?" he growled.

"You mean after the first time I saw him in Miami and threatened to shoot him?" Alyssa asked grinning.

Brian grimaced, "The beginning of the weirdness", he chuckled. She snickered.

"Nice to know you two had fun", Dom grumbled.

Alyssa huffed, "Dom, he and I worked out our issues just like you two did. Well, maybe not _exactly_, but still…"

"Sorry", he muttered, "I just can't put my finger on who you two remind me of and it's driving me crazy."

"Me and Vince?" she suggested making a face, "Sort of, but not really."

Dom studied her for a long minute when something dawned on him, "You and I were like this, weren't we?" he asked quietly.

She stared, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully, "Maybe", she agreed slowly. She smiled gently, "To be fair, Brian and I really are _way_ more platonic than you and I ever were, in spite of everything", she trailed off teasingly, "but I get your point. Mia always said we were annoying, you know, but I thought it was just because we were always so loud", she laughed. "But, damn, if we really acted like this, we probably drove everyone crazy!"

Dominic groaned, "I feel old", he muttered rubbing his head.

"It _was_ a long time ago", Alyssa murmured. "And you are old", she laughed.

He walked over and stood in front of her, his hands resting on either side of her neck, "I'm sorry", he said clearly.

She shook her head, "Don't… I know. It's okay", she said quietly, closing her eyes trying to ignore the fact that they had an audience, "I missed you too."

He laughed a little and she looked up, raising an annoyed eyebrow, "You still can't take apologies can you?" he wondered.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "No, and you know how I feel about words, Dom", she said softly.

He sighed, "Yeah, I know."

She pushed him away a second later and got off of the car and started walking around, "Okay", she said flatly, "One of you spit it out, right now. You're both making me crazy."

Brian groaned and took a wary step backwards, out of range, "I bought the passports", he said finally.

She stared at him suspiciously for a full minute, a feeling of dread creeping up her body, "From _who_?" she demanded.

"Marco Parasatti", he said in an undertone.

Alyssa took a shaky breath and made a fist, "_You fucking idiot_", she hissed.

"I didn't know it was him", Brian said exasperatedly, "Not until it was too late. You know I never met that guy before."

"_Fuck_, Brian, why didn't you come to me to begin with?" she asked, walking around and tugging on her hair in frustration. "You know I could have done it. Or at the very least you should have contacted me immediately after you found out – _dammit!_" she growled and kicked the back tire angrily.

She was lifted and moved a few feet away, "Don't kick my car", Dom said calmly.

"The same reason I didn't ask you if you knew where Braga was", Brian sighed.

Her head snapped up to glare at him at the same time as Dom, "Don't go there, Brian", she warned.

"Somebody had better explain to me what the hell is going on, _right now_", Dom warned evenly.

Alyssa looked over at him, "There's a lot you don't know", she said finally. Then her cell phone rang. "_What?!_" she demanded angrily.

"_Alyssa Marie Connelly, you are supposed to _tell_ me when you'll be seeing my brother_", an annoyed – and distinctly male – voice said.

She winced and turned around immediately, walking away from the men who were looking at her, "_David_", she hissed in shock. She pulled her phone away from her ear and looked at the number on the screen, mentally cursing herself for not doing so before answering it. "It was a spur of the moment thing", she muttered quietly. "I've been here less than a week… how did you even know I was here? You're such a stalker", she growled unhappily.

"I called your house, and your friend was conveniently watering your plants at the time", he said.

"Great", she grumbled. "Why can't you just call him yourself?"

"I _have_ been", he warned. "He's been ignoring my phone calls."

She snorted, "Can't imagine _why_", she said sarcastically. "It's not like you're always the bearer of bad news or anything." She turned around and caught Brian's eye and made a rude hand gesture towards the phone. Dom looked at her incredulously, while Brian shook his head in a negatory fashion, 'Hell no', he mouthed.

"Go get him so I can speak with him", David said seriously. "It's important."

"What's it about?" she questioned, matching his tone.

"It's none of your business", he answered. _They had a mutual dislike for each other most of the time._

"David, if you're calling my phone to get ahold of him, that makes it my business, don't you think?" she pointed out.

"Just let me talk to him", he growled.

She sighed, "Give me a minute." She hit the mute button and walked towards Brian. "Have you _checked_ any of his messages?" she asked exasperatedly.

"No", he grumbled.

She rolled her eyes, "He said it was important", she said.

"It always is", Brian sighed.

Alyssa switched the mute off, and spoke into the phone, "Look, I'll be straight with you, Brian is currently sitting on his ass on the ground because I just punched him in the jaw for being a giant _idiot_", she said, staring pointedly at Brian who smirked. "So if he doesn't feel like talking to you right now, because his jaw feels broken – I wouldn't hold it against him."

"Will he let me court marshal you _now_?" David asked blandly.

"You don't want him to court marshal me, right?" she called.

Brian gave her a wry smile and shook his head.

"Sorry, David, I got a 'no'", she teased.

"It's about Anna", he said finally.

Alyssa sighed, "Fine, I'll- just a sec", she said. She put a hand on her hip and held the phone out, "It's about Anna", she said quietly. Brian took the phone immediately and he walked away, muttering into the speaker.

Alyssa went back to where Dom was perched next to the car and sat next to him. "Who was that?" he asked.

"David is his older brother", she answered softly.

He quirked an eyebrow, "They don't get along?" he asked – completely passing over the fact that he didn't even know Brian _had_ an older brother.

Alyssa growled, "David can be an ass."

"Hmm…" he muttered. "Who's Anna?"

She pursed her lips, "I can't answer that. He'll tell you in his own time", she said quietly.

"Great", Dom grumbled.

"Don't bug him about it, Dom, I mean it", she warned.

"Fine", he agreed reluctantly.

"Let him come to you", she said in an undertone.

"You would tell me if he had a wife or a kid, wouldn't you", he asked seriously.

Alyssa laughed, "He doesn't", she shook her head. "It's not like that."

"Okay", he said.

"Besides, if he doesn't say anything soon, I'm gonna make him", she insisted. "He's being stupid."

"Yeah, I'm not worried _now_", Dom muttered.

She chuckled. They stood silently for a few minutes, Alyssa watching Brian, pacing on the phone, warily out of the corner of her eye, before she decided to handle some more immediate business. She nudged her oldest partner in crime in the ribs with her elbow, "Wanna tell me why you were all pissy earlier?" she requested softly.

He opened his mouth in denial, but apparently thought better of it, and she buried a smirk. "We haven't spent time together in years", he said.

She gave a sideways glance, but said nothing.

"He was with you for a long time when I wasn't", he muttered. "There's a whole part of your life that I don't know anything about, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me."

Alyssa shook her head ruefully, "Trust me, Dom, pretty soon you're going to know more about _that_ part of my life than you've ever wanted to", she said in an undertone.

"Did you two live together?" he wondered, "Because-"

She laughed, "No, not exactly. Granted, we often took up residence on each other's couches, but no. He probably _still_ has the spare key to my apartment somewhere, though", she chuckled. "My place is nicer than his was. But I stayed at his place when he went out of town."

"You still have an apartment up there?" Dom questioned raising an eyebrow.

"For when I go visit my brother – and I _do_ have friends there, you know", Alyssa explained vaguely.

"I wasn't aware that you were still _seeing_ that guy", he growled pointedly after a minute. "What the hell was he doing with you in Miami?"

She sighed tiredly, "You don't get to be upset about that; you don't understand. It's business."

"Oh, I wasn't _aware_ that it was normal to be friendly with your first sex partner – who you continued to sleep with repeatedly", he said sarcastically. "What the hell is there to understand about that?"

"Did our two minute conversation _look_ 'friendly'?" she snapped. "I still hate him as much now as I did then – probably more."

"I still don't know why you did that to yourself", he said in an undertone. "You deserved better than that."

She shook her head, "Find me a decent, _available_, guy – who's not _gay_ – and I'll reconsider becoming a crazy cat-lady."

He rolled his eyes, "You can't be a crazy cat-lady", he argued.

She raised an eyebrow, "And why not?"

"I hate cats", he complained.

She laughed, "I know." Alyssa saw Brian coming back in their direction and caught the look on his face, and held a silencing hand up – effectively stopping the retort about to come out of Dominic's mouth. "Fuck", she murmured. She stepped away from the car – god, she _hated_ that face. "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Brian shook his head tensely, "Anna's dad is dead."

Alyssa winced, "I hate to even ask."

"Alcohol poisoning", Brian said sharply.

"Shocking", she muttered sarcastically under her breath. "Sorry", she said sheepishly.

He shook his head, "Don't – you know I never liked that guy – it's the truth anyways."

"Did you call her?" she asked. He shook his head and she huffed at him, "_Call_ her", she said pointedly. "Find out when the funeral is, and tell her we'll be there", Alyssa said quietly.

"We?" Brian asked incredulously.

She nodded slowly, as if it would increase comprehension, "You suck at comforting upset females", she said truthfully. "You aren't taking her to the zoo", she said with a wry grin. "Besides, she'll probably need all the support she can get. Don't you think she'll want people there who aren't going to say 'it's about time'? From what I understand, no one liked that man. She should have people there that are concerned for her, and not drudging up the past", she pointed out quietly.

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "Fine", he said, giving in. "She likes you, in any case", he muttered.

"And why wouldn't she?" Alyssa asked pretending to be offended. "She has good taste."

Brian shook his head, "Even _I_ know better than to go near that one", he grumbled.

She smirked, "Don't outsmart your common sense. Oh, and while you're at it, tell her that she and Rome are coming back with us for a few weeks."

"Uh, what now?" Brian asked looking over her shoulder at Dom who was finally on his way over. "You can't do that, can you?"

"Do _what_, exactly?" Dom asked over her shoulder.

"Yes", she said seriously, "Yes, I can. If you need me to talk her into it, I'd be happy to."

"Talk _who_ into _what_?" Dominic asked, annoyed at being ignored.

"Anna", Alyssa snipped. Then she waived Brian off, "Go _call_ her, geez", she demanded. "I want to buy the plane tickets tonight."

"You don't have to-"

She shut Brian up with an even look, "Frequent flier miles", she sang happily.

He shook his head, "You are so bi-polar", he said before walking away.

"Her number is in my contacts", she called.

"Got it", he answered.

"_Now_ would you please pay attention to me?" Dom demanded.

Alyssa whirled around and started laughing, "'_Pay attention to me!_' What, are you six?" she teased.

"Answer my question", he said, ignoring her.

"Brian has to tell you what's going on", she said. "But we are going to have visitors for a little while."

"_We_- visitors… what?" he said confusedly.

"After he talks to you, any issues you have with the arrangement can be taken up with me", she said clearly. "At that time, we can have a pointless argument, which, by the time we are done, you will end up being wrong – and I'll do what I want, as usual", Alyssa said folding her arms across her chest.

He groaned, "You're my best friend, and my worst nightmare – all rolled into one annoying ball of craziness."

She stood on her tip-toes to lean next to his face, "You're destruction is imminent", she murmured teasingly. "I take no prisoners."

"Who put you in charge?" he complained.

"You did", she reminded with a laugh. "Besides, someone's got to keep you on your toes in your _old age_."

"I'm only two years older than you", he pointed out.

"_So_, I won't be old for another two years", she said shrugging happily rocking back on her feet.

"Shouldn't you start thinking up retirement plans or something then?" he questioned, smirking at her. "And won't your ovaries be all dried up soon?"

She blanched momentarily – because, well, _she couldn't believe he just said that_ – and then she promptly burst out laughing. "You are _such_ an asshole", she laughed. "And the fact that you're thinking about my – ehem – parts, is really quite disturbing. God, Dom, _seriously_?"

He chuckled, "Sorry", he said unapologetically.

"_Yeah_, uh-huh, right", she muttered, "_That_ was totally believable", she said sarcastically. "Besides you're right – in a disgusting 'we don't need to talk about this' kind of way. Doesn't really matter though, since I don't plan on using them", she snickered.

He raised an eyebrow, "You still don't want kids?" he questioned curiously.

She shook her head, "Nah, I'm pretty sure my maternal instincts are in the negative except for in short increments. I'll gladly spoil yours rotten though", she said affectionately. "So you and Letty better get crackin'", she teased.

He rolled his eyes, "We're already in business – can't do more now", he said blandly.

She coughed, "Ugh, thanks for the visual."

He smirked, "Payback's a bitch."

"I'll keep that in mind when I'm planning the baby shower", Alyssa said giving an evil smile.

He made a face, "Great", he said unenthusiastically.

She laughed, "Seriously, just make me an honorary auntie, and I'll be happy as… eh, something that's happy all the time."

"A meadowlark?" he suggested, obviously amused.

She shook her head, "Do you think birds are happy in the winter freezing their ass feathers off?" she asked seriously.

Dom laughed, "I don't know how to respond to that. What would you suggest then?" he asked smirking.

"Umm…" she faltered, "Oh! Seahorses!" she exclaimed.

"_Seahorses_", he said incredulously.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow, "Have you ever seen an unhappy seahorse?" she questioned.

"Do stuffed seahorses count?" he muttered.

She chuckled, "Oh, just hush."

"Alright", Brian called as he walked over, "We're set." He stopped in front of them looking incredulous, "What _the hell_ were you guys talking about?" he grimaced. "I heard just enough to be either worried or disgusted."

"My being awesome, the terminal lifespan of my ovaries, and the fact that Letty is going to have an enormous baby shower – that _no one_ is going to breathe a word about, and seahorses", she rattled off.

"My _ears_", Brian grumbled. "I thought we agreed not to speak about… female issues", he feigned gagging.

"You asked", Alyssa said rolling her eyes.

"Fuck you", he muttered.

"Somebody ought to", Dom agreed.

Her jaw dropped, "You're supposed to be on _my_ side!"

"Trust me", Dom said wryly, "It's in your best interest to get laid."

"Why do we have such weird conversations?" she whined. "This is totally inappropriate."

"Doesn't matter", Dom laughed, "we never had boundaries to begin with – no use putting them up now."

She groaned and smacked his shoulder, "I don't like you", she grumbled. He grabbed her around the waist and gave her an obnoxious squeaking kiss by her ear that made her ear ring and she squealed indignantly, trying to wrestle out of his grip while he laughed. "Gahh! I _hate_ that!" she cried.

"Love you too, shnooky", he teased letting her go.

She immediately rubbed at her ear, "Jerk", she muttered, "You know I hate that. My ear drum feels like it's busted. And don't _call _me that!"

He ruffled her hair and she swatted him away, "Aww, why not?" he complained.

"It's too… ick", she explained.

"Yeah, _that_ makes sense", he said sarcastically.

She folded her arms over her chest and smirked, "You know I didn't like that when we were 'dating', and you got to cop random boob grabs. I'm sure as hell not gonna let you call me that _now_", she said.

Brian choked from behind her, and Dom smirked at her, "Well, if _that's_ the only problem…" he lunged for her and she ran towards the path.

"_No_", she shrieked, laughing. "_You're still a Neanderthal_", she called over her shoulder. She was tackled unceremoniously to the grass. "Oof", she huffed, the wind knocked out of her. "You're such a pain in the ass", she groaned. "Literally – I think I landed on a rock", she whined.

He laughed and rolled off her. "I like porn just as much as the next person", Brian called, "but could you two seriously restrain yourselves?" Alyssa shifted and threw the tiny rock at him. He was smart and ducked so it didn't hit him square in the head. "Hey!" he complained. "You have scary precision."

She laughed, "Yeah, that's why David keeps trying to have my firearms license revoked. But I've still _got it_", she sing-songed happily.

Brian rolled his eyes, "Can't _imagine_ why you two don't get along", he muttered.

"He just can't handle my awesomeness", she responded lightly. "Don't know why… everybody else loves me."

"I think", Brian pointed out carefully, "that he can't stand your general unwillingness to be wrong."

"Not when I'm _right_", she growled propping herself up slightly on her elbows. "He just doesn't like that I'm female and actually have an opinion that I don't mind sharing."

"He didn't like that you called him a 'know-it-all arrogant dickhead'", he said smirking. She heard Dom laugh.

"He wouldn't have been so offended by that if knew me better", she argued. "That's _almost_ an affectionate term."

"Sadly that's true", Dom murmured.

"You have intimacy issues, don't you?" Brian said teasingly.

Alyssa stiffened slightly, and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, _that's_ the problem I have with your brother", she retorted.

"Alright, can we get off the ground now?" Dom asked. He got up and held a hand out to pull her up. "You didn't tell him", he said flatly, once she was on her feet.

She frowned, "It didn't come up", she said quietly.

He growled at her, "_Bullshit_." She shrugged and went to walk around him, but he grabbed her wrist gently. "You are not your parents", he said softly. "Don't let that crap stop you from living your life."

"I am living my life", she answered pulling away. "Not a word, Dominic, I mean it." She walked back towards the car, "Alright, Brian, spill", she demanded.

"Spill what?" he grumbled.

"First of all, when is the funeral?" she asked.

"In four days", he answered.

"Ok, we'll leave the day after tomorrow", she said. "I'll look at flight times when we get back to the house.

"Alright, that works", he agreed. "We gonna head back-"

"Uh-uh", she said stopping him.

He gave her an exasperated look, "Now what?"

She gave him a calculating look, "You know what", she said pointedly. "Tell Dom about Anna", she said quietly. "You're making it out to be this big thing, Brian, and it just isn't."

He glared, "Fine, but if I do, so do you."

"I'm gonna have to aren't I, thanks to you", she hissed. "You owe Marco money- _dammit_." Alyssa paced back and forth along the side of the car. "You know what I always say; life is like-"

"-a car", Dom and Brian finished obediently, both wincing, knowing there was a speech pending.

"_Exactly_", she muttered still pacing, "And cars take work – and effort to maintain. Leave it alone too long and it deteriorates. And if you're fucking _stupid_ enough to crash your fucking car, you'd better _fix_ the damn thing. And if _you_ can't, you'd better find someone who _can_. And in case you two are too slow to figure that one out", she growled, "that _someone_ would be me."

"We aren't that stupid", Brian grumbled.

She arched an eyebrow in his direction, "_That_ is debatable. Dumb and Dumber", she grumbled.

"I thought it was _Ren and Stimpy_?" Dom questioned blandly.

"That's you and Vince", Alyssa refuted. "You guys just cause general chaos. _However_, when you and Brian get together, we have trouble of epic proportions."

"You're exaggerating", Brian muttered.

"Uh, QED, right now: Our current situation? Ring any bells?" Alyssa glowered, "_Both_ of your stupid fucking faults. And the only proof I have that they didn't make that movie about you two is the fact that neither of you would come within a five-mile radius of a dog van."

"Are you _drunk_?" Dominic asked incredulously.

She squinted at him, "_No_, are you?"

"It's not even eleven yet, and how many variations of the word 'fuck' have you used?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

She snorted, "Yes, I like the f-word when I'm drunk, gimme a break. I'm not drunk; shut up you fucktard." Brian laughed aloud and she whirled back to face him. "_Anna_, Brian, now", she said seriously. "The cliffs-notes version would be fine for now."

He gave her a dirty look that made her laugh, and he sighed. "Anna was friends with me and Rome. She lived next door to me, so we all grew up together."

Alyssa coughed out a laugh, "I think I should point out that _she_ grew up – you and Rome… not so much."

"She had to though, didn't she?" Brian snapped.

She nodded calmly, not offended by his outburst, "Yeah", she said quietly, "She did."

He glared at her, realizing that she was goading him because he had been stalling. "Her mom was killed in a car crash when we were about ten or eleven", he muttered, "Then her dad became an alcoholic. He was a mean drunk. It really sucked; he became a completely different person – it was like all the good things about him disappeared."

"That usually happens", Dom muttered under his breath. Alyssa shot him a wary look. Not so much at the words, but his tone held just a bit too much knowing for her to be comfortable with.

"He hit her once", Brian said flatly. "Once was enough – she came over to our place and told my dad. It didn't matter that it was two in the morning, my dad got out of bed, put Anna in bed to stay with my mom, went next door, and came home twenty minutes later with a bruised hand and a bag of her stuff. She basically moved in that night, and never really spent the night at her house again."

"Sounds a lot like my dad", Dom said after a minute.

Alyssa nodded, leaning into his side, ignoring the burning behind her eyes, "He is", she said softly. "He's a lot like your dad was."

"When did you meet his family?" Dom asked, looking down at her curiously.

Alyssa shot Brian a look, but continued, "I met David shortly after Brian finished that job in Miami. Brian just told me that he had to go to Santa Fe to see about something, and I stayed at his 'house', figuring I would make him tell me the details later."

"Don't knock Tej's houseboat", Brian huffed.

She laughed, "You know, a phone call would have been nice that day", she said pointedly. Alyssa turned back to Dom. "I was waiting for Brian to call if he needed me to pick him up from the airport, but he sent me a text saying he was on the way, so I was starting dinner when he walked in fifteen minutes later with a tall blonde guy that reminded me of Brad Pitt. I knew when Brian immediately began placating, that I was gonna be pissed, so I just told him to spit it out-"

"I _believe_ what you said was 'Brian if you don't tell me who the hell that guy behind you is, right now, I'm going to shove a frying pan up your ass'", Brian corrected smirking at her. "David thought that was hilarious."

"Same thing", she muttered. "_Anyways_ – seriously, Brian, I might have like your brother if he hadn't opened his mouth", she growled.

"Oh, god", Dom laughed, "Do I want to know?"

"After Brian introduced us, he asked if I was Brian's new, hot piece of ass", she answered, clearly still unamused. Dom winced knowing _exactly_ how well that must have gone over.

Brian chuckled and she glared at him. "Alyssa, it's only funny because you're the only one who talks to my brother that way." She just folded her arms over her chest in annoyance. He explained, seeing Dom's curious look. "She turned and _snarled_ at him", he snickered, "and asked if she _looked like some dumb blonde bitch Barbie_. Then she told him to go fuck himself – _outside_ – and turned back around and kept cooking."

"Not one of your finest moments, was it, honey?" Dom teased.

She glowered up at him, "Honey, my ass – I never put up with that kind of shit from the fuckwits I _knew_, never mind tolerating shit like that from the ones I didn't. He's lucky I didn't deck him."

He chuckled, "I know."

"Brian was like 'uh, maybe you should give us a minute'", Alyssa snipped.

_Alyssa whirled around, from her spot in front of the oven, annoyance written all over her face, "Brian, that wide blue-eyed, innocent look isn't getting you out of trouble this time", she said pointedly, "with or without witnesses."_

_Brian grimaced, turning around to see his older brother watching the scene in distinct amusement, "Get out for five minutes", he repeated, motioning to the door._

_David nodded, eyes twinkling, "Yell if you need – help", he said as he walked out the door._

_Alyssa gave a angry huff, about to chase after the annoying, tall blonde and give him a piece of her mind, but Brian caught her around the waist, intercepting her. "What?!" she demanded._

"_Goddammit, woman, learn to control your temper", he said loudly._

"_You are aware that I _do_ have a tight rein on my temper", she pointed out fiercely._

_He sighed, obviously understanding the underlying meaning behind that statement. But now was not the time to talk about it. "Yeah, well use it – and find your common sense while you're at it. He's a fucking U. S. Marshal", Brian hissed in her ear, motioning to the front door._

_Alyssa looked up at him incredulously, "Excuse me?" she growled._

_He scrubbed a hand over his face, "My parents are only slightly less upset about that fact", he admitted. "Relax; I'm pretty sure he's just here to check up on me to appease our parents. He's got the month off-duty, but I think he's going to be here for a week – maybe two – and then go to Barstow."_

"_Dammit, Brian", she said tiredly, "I swear-"_

"_I know", he muttered._

"_Should I hide my gun before he comes back in?" she asked finally, rolling her eyes. "It's on your dresser."_

_Brian smirked, "Go tell him to come back in – I'll put it in the bottom of your suitcase and lock it. You've got the key, right?"_

_She huffed, "On my key chain, as always. Why can't you get him?"_

_He laughed, "Be right back. Go play nice", he said, heading down the small hallway and around the corner._

_She squared her shoulders and walked across the tiny living room and whipped the door open, plastering a smile on her face. "Sorry about that; you can come in now", she said plainly._

_The man stepped back in the houseboat, clearly intrigued – either by her sudden change of heart, or the fact that they both knew he had been most likely eavesdropping, but she decided to ignore it – seeing as the walls to this imitation house were thin, and they were yelling. "I apologize", he said seriously, "It wasn't my intention to offend."_

_She raised an eyebrow, "Is there even a way to spin your previous comment in a way that _couldn't_ be misconstrued as offensive?" she asked pointedly._

"_Fine", he sighed, "Can I retract my previous statement entirely?"_

_She studied him momentarily, "I suppose", she nodded. "Don't do it again." Alyssa went back into the kitchen and went back to stirring the spaghetti sauce she was heating in a pan on the stove._

"_You may not be aware that Brian doesn't exactly _keep_ females at his place, so forgive me if I find this slightly unusual", David said leaning against the counter opposite of her._

_Alyssa snapped her stirring spoon back on the oven and turned back around, "He doesn't _keep_ me", she said keeping her voice low. "I have my own place – closer to the city. And in case you didn't notice, this place is pretty much a shithole. I was staying here while he was gone, making sure nothing screwy happened while he was gone. And to clarify: he is _not_ my boyfriend, nor are we sleeping together – not that it would be any of your business. He's a good friend, and I really couldn't ask for more. Besides, he's not my type – and I'm definitely not his either."_

"_Damn right", Brian teased, finally coming back. "You're too high-maintenance for my taste", he said, coming over and ruffling her hair._

"_Why do you guys always do that", she muttered, trying to flatten it, "You know I hate that. And high-maintenance my ass! You take more time in the bathroom than I do in the morning, pretty boy", she retorted._

"_Only because you do your make-up in the car", he agreed good-naturedly._

"_I'm a busy girl – I have to multi-task", she grinned._

_He chuckled, "Which is why you're so easily distracted", he said affectionately. He looked over at David, "I ask her to do me favors when she's on the phone yelling at someone – she'll agree even though she has no idea what I'm talking about."_

_Alyssa rolled her eyes, but smiled amusedly, watching as Brian went to stick a spoon in the sauce and popped it in his mouth without a thought. "Mother fucking-!" he yelled._

_She calmly handed him a glass of water she had ready in the fridge, "You always do that", she chided. "What the fuck do you think it was sitting on the stove for? 'It's steaming, it must be room temperature', she muttered. "Where's the spatula I can smack you with?" she teased, looking around._

"_Shut up", he grumbled._

"_Well", David said finally, "You two are certainly interesting."_

--

Alyssa finally peered up at Dom who looked positively gob smacked. She poked him in the side, "What's going on in your head?" she wondered curiously.

"I'm sorry; I think I missed everything after _U. S. Marshall_", he said glaring.

Alyssa laughed, "That really has nothing to do with anything – other than the fact that it explodes David's already over-inflated ego."

Dom's glare lessened slightly and looked thoughtfully over at Brian. "You're parents didn't like that you were a cop?" he asked curiously "Why? Did they think it was too dangerous?"

Alyssa snorted, "Not exactly."

"A few months after Anna moved in with us, I finally got the nerve to ask my dad why he had never called the cops, or done anything beyond punching the bastard in the face. He said 'we protect our own; it doesn't matter who it is.' Brian sighed. "I understood the concept then, but I never realized how much I dislike it until we all got a little older. I watched a lot of shit happen, and nobody did anything about any of it. It's why I became a cop. I wanted justice in some way. I thought everything was black and white; black was black, and white was white – but it's not."

"You were young, Brian – experiences change our view of the world constantly. You can't blame yourself for things you didn't know at the time", Alyssa said quietly.

Dom nodded reluctantly, "She's right", he said. He looked down at her, "Wow that leaves a weird taste in my mouth."

She rolled her eyes, "Jackass. I would think you would be used to it by now", she teased.

Instead of answering, Dom hoisted her over his shoulder and headed for the car, "Come on. We should go back."

"Lemme drive", Alyssa hissed hanging onto the back of his t-shirt while she was upside down. Brian was smirking at her as he walked behind them and she gave him the finger – he snickered.

"Not a chance", Dom laughed.

"Dom, come _on_", she whined. "Or at least let me ride in the trunk. There's probably more room in there", she grumbled.

He opened the car door and moved the seat forward and set her down, propelling her into the back of the car. "Back seat, baby girl", he laughed. "Comfort yourself with the fact that I drive faster than you, and you won't be back there long."

"That isn't a comforting thought", she groused. "That thought makes me _nauseous_." She huffed and climbed in. "We're listening to my iPod", she called to Dom as Brian got in the car and shut the door. She heard Dom groan and she grinned, rifling through her purse pulling out her favorite electronic device and the cord the she leaned between the seats and plugged it in, thankful that they had eventually convinced Dom to get a decent stereo.

"Your taste in music sucks", Dom grumbled as he got in the car and slammed the door.

She smirked in the rear view mirror at him, "Comfort yourself with the fact that you drive faster than me, and you won't have to listen to it long", she said with a laugh.

"Oh, my god", Brian laughed.

"You asked for it", Dom warned as he revved his engine and peeled out onto the road again.

"Oh, _shit_", Alyssa muttered as she righted herself from being tossed across the other side of the car. "Dammit, Dom, where the fuck are the seatbelts!" she yelled.

"There aren't any back there", he laughed.

"I hate you", she said severely, punching buttons on her iPod.

He laughed for the next thirty second until a low back-beat played through his speakers, "Fuck _no_", he argued.

She snickered, "C'mon, Dom, you know it's your favorite song", she teased turning up the volume.

"_I hate Carly Simon!_" he yelled. Brian doubled over in the front seat, laughing his ass off. Dom clocked him over the head, "Asshole", he growled.

Alyssa howled with laughter, and finally managed to contain herself when it got to the chorus a second time and caught Dom glaring at her in the mirror and she grinned, resting her chin on the right side of his seat and started singing in his ear, "You know you love it", she murmured. '_You're so vain. You probably think this song is about you, you're so vain. I'll bet you think this song is about you. Don't you, don't you, don't you?_'

--

Brian thought it was funny that Dom refused to speak to either of them the rest of the way home and all day until dinner, despite everyone's curious looks. After dinner, Alyssa started to say _something_, and Dom promptly chased her through the house and out the back door. Everybody went and watched the scene from the porch amusedly until Dom caught her and started carrying her behind the barn.

"He wouldn't", Vince said in shock.

"Hell yes, he would", Letty hissed.

Brian's eyes widened in realization, "Oh, _fuck_. She'll kill him."

Three seconds later their suspicions were confirmed by a sharp scream of indignation and a splash. "I can't believe he dumped her in the trough", Mia said in disbelief.

"I can", Leon grumbled.

"What the hell happened today?" Jesse asked.

"She made him listen to Carly Simon", Brian said with a laugh.

Letty laughed uproariously, "That's my girl."

"Should we go down there?" Mia asked after a minute of silence. There was another yell, this time Dom's, and another splash. Mia coughed, "That would be a no."

"Holy fuck", Vince laughed. "That's the funniest shit ever!"

Five minutes later, the group watched as Alyssa and Dom trailed back up the yard, both dripping wet and covered in mud. "I suppose you'll be wanting towels", Letty said with a smirk.

Alyssa stopped dead, glaring across the yard at them, hands on her hips, "Can someone tell me why the _fuck_ there is a bathtub full of water sitting _behind the barn?_" Everybody else just laughed.

--

Alyssa woke up around two a.m. that night, wondering what had awakened her and sat up curiously. She heard a vague thump and looked around the room inquisitively when she heard another thump. And just when she was deciphering the fact that the noise did not, in fact, come from her room, there was another thump. Followed by a moan. And a low groan. Her jaw dropped incredulously, and she fell back on her pillow started laughing.

She leaned up on her elbows when there was another distinct whine and called loudly, "You guys are already engaging in a threesome! Unless you two are looking for a very unhappily vocal fourth party, I suggest you tone it down!"

"Oh, my god", she heard Letty mutter.

Dom laughed, "Go back to sleep, you nosy bitch."

"I _was_ asleep", Alyssa called back. "You fuckers woke me up! And if you can't keep it down, stop doing it doggy-style", she said pointedly.

"Tomorrow", Letty called, "I'm going to _murder_ you!"

"Not if you can't _walk_", she yelled back. "Dom, you're buying me some goddamn ear plugs."

"In the top drawer of the nightstand", he shouted.

She took a look, "Are you kidding me?" she muttered incredulously. They were bright pink. She grabbed the remote for the radio perched on top of the dresser and turned it on, on low and pressed the sponges in her ears.

--

**A/N 2: **It's extra long, so don't be too upset that it took me a while. I wanted to explain some of what was going on. As always, review, please, it makes me giddy. (I was listening to that song about halfway through this chapter and about died laughing and decided to annoy Dom with it – it seemed appropriate.)


	10. Chapter 10

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 10**_

_Alyssa's first Thanksgiving with the Toretto's was a few months before she turned sixteen. Letty, who had just turned seventeen, had spent the night with them the night before, seeing as she had recruited the girls to make pies. They had let Mia help only after she promised not to go near the new toaster. The three of them had spent nearly five hours to make ten pies. Which had included, but was not limited to, three flour fights, a dish towel fight, a water fight, and Mia cracking an egg on Alyssa's head – which only finally ended when Dom came into the kitchen and dumped the remaining flour on Alyssa's and Letty's heads. Luckily, by that time, they had made all the pies they were supposed to and they were just supposed to be cleaning up then._

"_Oh, my god", Mia said looking around the kitchen in horror, "Dad's gonna kill us if we don't have this cleaned before he gets home."_

"_We have", Alyssa glanced at the clock, "Twenty minutes – oh, shit."_

_Letty sneezed and a flour cloud appeared in the air. Dom laughed, "Why don't you two flour babies go take quick showers", he suggested, "That was sort of my fault."_

"_Sort of?" Alyssa asked incredulously. "Thanks to you and Mia, I'm half of a pie."_

_Mia snickered, "I always knew you were a few ingredients short of a pastry", she teased. Dom reached over the island to give his sister a high-five._

"_Crazy Italianos", she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Mia, I can't _believe_ you cracked an egg on my head – you're supposed to be the sweet one! Come on, Letty, no one down here loves us", she pouted heading towards the stairs, "My hair feels like it's turning into cement."_

_Letty reached up to touch her own hair cautiously, "Oh, eww", she made a face, "So does mine. Next year, we won't mix flour and water", she said following the younger girl up the stairs carefully as they tried not to leave a trail of dusty white powder in their wake._

"_At least yours is sans the egg", Alyssa grumbled. "I can't _believe_ she did that."_

"_That was pretty surprising", Letty agreed as they went into the bathroom and shut the door and Alyssa pulled out four fluffy towels out of the bathroom pantry._

"_God", Alyssa whined looking at their reflections, "How are we going to do this?"_

_Letty smirked, "Picture first?" she suggested._

_Alyssa laughed carefully, "If you can see to go get the camera with flour in your eyelashes", she teased._

"_Be right back", Letty said and slipped back to Mia's room to grab her mom's camera that she had brought with her, and came back a few seconds later. Alyssa struck a pose that probably would have been considered sultry if not for the flour and the egg. "Beautiful, dahling", Letty teased and took the picture before handing the camera over. Letty placed her hands on her hips, and jutted one outward to the left._

_Alyssa snapped the picture, "I would totally buy that flour", she joked._

"_Well, duh", Letty laughed. "Come 'ere, you flour bitch. One more", she said pulling them both in front of the mirror._

_Alyssa chuckled, "Well, those are some hot, sexy biotches", she said looking at their reflection. Letty snapped the last picture._

"_I'm gonna have fun explaining those to my mom when she gets them developed", Letty snickered._

_Alyssa shook her head, "Geez. Alright, seriously, how are gonna get this stuff out of our hair?"_

_Letty raised her eyebrows, "Ugh, loose the shirt and pants", she muttered with slight amusement, and pulling her own t-shirt over her head carefully._

_Alyssa stood, completely dumb-founded. "Why do all my friends want to see me naked?" she whined._

_Letty chuckled, "'Cause you're hot, chica. Now strip." _

"_I feel like I'm participating in a pervy boy's wet dream", she groused as she shimmied out of her jeans._

"_You are", Letty said reaching behind the curtain and turning the shower on, "So let's get this over with."_

"_Wow, Let, I never thought you were the 'wham, bam, thank you, ma'am' kinda girl", Alyssa teased._

_Letty splashed a handful of water at her from the tub's faucet, "Bitch", she gasped, grinning, tugging off her own jeans and stepping into the shower._

_Alyssa pulled her shirt over her head cautiously, and tossed it to the floor before stepping in the shower as well. "Well, isn't that sexy?" Alyssa asked with an amused smirk. Letty was standing under the spray with rivers of white coming from her hair. "You look like a melting snow beast."_

_Letty rolled her eyes and dumped some shampoo into her hand, and rubbed it through her hair vigorously. She stepped out from under the spray, switching places with Alyssa, "Your turn, egg head."_

_Fifteen minutes later, the girls went back to the kitchen, now wearing pajamas even though they hadn't even had dinner yet, to find it nearly cleaned, and they went to the sink to begin washing the dishes after placing their wet things into the washer for later. "That was fast", Dom commented from his seat at the kitchen table._

_Alyssa quickly smirked at Letty, before saying nonchalantly over her shoulder, "Yeah, we shared the shower." They both laughed when they heard Dom choke on his soda._

"_Well, that's… nice", he muttered._

"_What's nice?" Mia asked, walking back into the kitchen._

"_Alyssa and I decided to _share_ the shower so we could get the flour out of both of our hair before it turned to cement", Letty said calmly, turning around slightly. "That was _nice_, wasn't it?" she asked pointedly._

_Mia blanched slightly, before she glanced over at Dom who was engaging in a trance-like staring contest with the plastic cup resting on the table between his hands. Mia blinked rapidly, before turning around and running up the stairs giggling._

_Alyssa rolled her eyes playfully at Letty and they finished the rest of the dishes. "Phew", she said leaning against the counter. "I can't believe that mess is clean."_

_Letty laughed, "Really, and with time to spare."_

"_Where's Vince?" Alyssa asked Dom curiously._

_His head shot up, "Uh – oh, Vince, he's helping Dad close the shop."_

"_Let's watch Halloween II after dinner", Letty said. "I'm in the mood for a good horror movie."_

_Alyssa grimaced, "I hate scary movies", she whined. "You guys know that."_

"_Aw, come on", Letty whined._

_Dom laughed, "I got this one, Let."_

_Alyssa turned around to look at him, raising a skeptical eyebrow, "Oh, you 'got this one', huh?" she asked, "Smug bastard."_

_He grinned at her, and motioned her over. She rolled her eyes, but obeyed reluctantly. He tugged her into his lap, and she held back a laugh. "Come on, baby. You know I'll protect you from the Halloween monsters", he murmured persuasively in her ear._

_Alyssa turned her head slightly to see him. She snorted, "Oh, I've no doubt about that. I take issue with the fact that you like to scare the ever living shit out of me when the movie is over." Alyssa looked over to glare at Letty who had stifled a laugh. "Shut up; it's not funny."_

_Letty covered her mouth with her hand, "Sorry", she snickered. "I just don't understand your irrational fear of fear. You're almost sixteen for god's sake."_

"_Thanks, Letty, but I already know how old I am", Alyssa growled. "Forgive me for having the good sense not to like being terrified."_

"_Alright, hush", Dom muttered. "If I promise to behave, will you stop bitching?"_

_She turned her glare on him then, but he stared her down until she giggled, "I don't know if that's possible", she admitted. He scooped her up as he stood, and she grabbed him and shrieked, "Dom!" she protested. "Put me down!"_

"_Baby", he teased._

_She rolled her eyes, "Baby, baby, baby", she muttered sarcastically, "Just zip it, Casanova."_

_He laughed and swatted her backside, "Hey, Let", he called over his shoulder, "Can you put the big pot on the stove and boil the noodles for the spaghetti? I'll be back down in a minute – the brat needs a time out."_

"_Yeah, sure", Letty said shaking her head in amusement. She watched them go up the stairs before turning around and looking through the lower cupboards._

_Letty heard nothing from the upstairs for quite some time. When the water started to boil, she dumped in the noodles and poured a little vegetable oil in to keep them from sticking. She was stirring the concoction when she heard Alyssa's riotous laughter that nearly made her jump out of her skin._

"_Dom!" Alyssa shouted, clearly exasperated. He just laughed. "Ugh", she whined. "Get off me, you asshole!" Letty laughed as she dumped the spaghetti into the strainer she had placed in the sink to drain. There was a loud thump and she dropped the now empty pot into the other side of the sink and went upstairs cautiously. When she got up the stairs, she saw Mia peering in Dom's doorway, a smirk on her face. Letty took her chances and took a look as well. Dom was on his ass on the floor – clearly unhappy at whatever turn of events had put him there. Alyssa was doubled over on the bed with her face in a pillow – laughing hysterically._

_Letty cleared her throat pointedly, "Uh, what the hell happened up here?" she asked after the both finally looked in her direction._

_Alyssa snickered, eyes shining with amusement, "He started it."_

"_You bit my ear!" Dom refuted. Letty coughed._

"_Not hard", Alyssa argued laughing, "There's not even a mark. And I only did that 'cause you snapped my bra strap."_

"_I wanna know how he ended up on the floor", Letty said curiously._

_Alyssa flushed and looked around distractedly, "I pushed him."_

"_And tell her _why_", Dom teased._

"_Fuck off", she growled._

"_Why?" he asked innocently. "You don't want to tell her that you knocked me off the bed because I was blowing raspberries on your stomach?" he laughed. Letty and Mia tried to hide their amusement helplessly._

_She chucked the pillow at him but he caught it. "What is it with you Toretto's today?" Alyssa complained. "You with the egg", she waved at Mia. "You with your… general 'you-ness'", she glared at Dom who was smirking. "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight."_

"_No, you're not", Dom said smugly._

"Yes_, I am", Alyssa argued, pointedly looking away from him as he got up from the floor._

"_We agreed that it was only fair that when Letty was over, I got a bed-buddy too", he said with amusement._

_Alyssa looked up then, smiling sweetly, "Fine", she said. "I'll hog Mia's bed… and you can share with Letty." She took a strange, sick sort of pleasure at the frozen looks on both of their faces and the distinct lack of response._

_Dom finally interrupted the silence with an awkward cough, "I don't think her mother would like that", he said slowly._

_Alyssa bit her bottom lip and gave him a pointed look, fully intending to make him uncomfortable. "And, what does that say about me exactly?" she asked raising an eyebrow._

_He winced, "Okay, that's different – and you live here."_

"_Alright, I'll take your bed, and you can try to play bed-buddies with Vince. I'm sure he'd appreciate the sentiment", she said evenly._

_And that was the exact moment he realized she was screwing with him. He looked at her incredulously, "Oh, you are in so much trouble", he muttered, advancing on her._

_She squeaked and jumped over to the other side of the bed and ran past Mia and Letty out the bedroom door with Dom only a few feet behind her. He chased her down the stairs and just as they turned the corner to the kitchen, the back door slammed shut. Mr. T. was standing in the middle of the kitchen, arms folded, and a faux stern look on his face. He had obviously heard the thunder of their feet. _

_Alyssa had come to a full on stop and Dom managed not to plow her over as he grabbed her around the waist. Letty and Mia had wisely veered to the sides. "You forgot to say 'halt'", Mia quipped, pushing a few stray pieces of hair away from her face. Alyssa held back a giggle. Mia had become weirdly obsessed with all the Disney movies when she was thirteen, and now they all walked around dropping quotes left and right._

"_What have I told you guys about running in the house", Mr. T. asked seriously as the door opened again and Vince walked in._

"_Don't get caught", they all said simultaneously._

_Mr. T. chuckled, "Obviously. What were you guys doing this time?"_

"_Well, I was about to finish the spaghetti", Letty said, heading back to the sink, "I got a little… distracted." _

_Mia snickered, "I'm finishing some laundry", she said before scooting out of the kitchen towards the laundry room._

_Mr. T. raised an eyebrow, "That just leaves you two", he said pointedly. "What were _you_ two doing five minutes ago?"_

_Alyssa bit her bottom lip. Five minutes ago Dom was trying to get her to tell him whether she and Letty had been naked in the shower or not. But she didn't think that would be the best answer. "We were… ahh… having a difference of opinion", she said weakly. Alyssa peaked over her shoulder. "Could you let go of me now?" she muttered, gesturing to his hands still at her waist. "And for Pete's sake, _you _say something", she hissed._

"_Huh?" Dom muttered. "Oh, right, yeah. We were… arguing."_

"_And are you two done… arguing?" Mr. T. asked skeptically, clearly not believing a word they were saying._

"_As long as Dom's done being a dumba-" Alyssa stopped mid-word, when Dom jabbed her in the back, "alligator?" she finished helplessly. Vince snorted from across the kitchen where he was trying to sneak noodles from Letty. They weren't allowed to swear during dinner time – whether they were at the table eating yet or not. The offender had to take over dishes for whoever actually had their turn – by themselves._

_Alyssa buried her face in her hands, doubling over laughing. "Worst save _ever_", Dom chuckled in her ear._

"_Shut up, you dumb-alligator", she laughed hysterically. She heard Letty start giggling and it only made it worse. Dom's dad finally let out a booming laugh and they were all nearly in tears._

"What_ is going on?" Mia demanded, coming back into the kitchen with a laundry basket full of clean clothes. She was looking at them all like they were crazy. Vince was hanging onto the counter, Letty was holding Vince's arm to stay upright, and Alyssa was leaning against Dom who was against the wall. Mr. T. was standing in the middle of it all laughing uproariously._

"'_Lyssa", Dom laughed, trying to explain, but he gave up._

"_She called him a dumb-" Vince tried._

"_Alligator", Letty cackled._

_Mia rolled her eyes, "Mary, Jesus, Joseph", she muttered, "As if today hadn't been eventful enough."_

_That brought on more laughter. "Do I want to know?" Mr. T. asked cheerfully._

_Alyssa laughed harder, "We made the pies today", she managed._

_He shrugged his shoulders, "The kitchen is clean; ignorance is bliss."_

"_Thank god", Dom muttered._

"_Give me fifteen minutes to clean up", Mr. T. said, "and I'll get started on the garlic bread."_

"_I'll heat up the sauce", Alyssa said as he headed towards his room._

_Later that evening, they did all settle in the living room to watch Halloween II. Mr. T. went to bed, before it started, warning them not to stay up too late. Letty took the recliner like she always did during scary movies, because she was the only girl who loved them as much as Dom or Vince and was happier to sit alone._

_Mia was sitting on one couch with Vince and they were sharing a large blanket. But while Mia mostly just held a pillow over her face, she wasn't on Vince's lap like Alyssa was on Dom's._

_She was curled up on his lap, face buried in his chest, not even facing the television, and had a blanket wrapped around herself – and him. He dealt with her aversion to fear in stride because he understood it, and didn't comment on her general weirdness. They had tried to desensitize her once – it had backfired, and she made him stay up with her the rest of the weekend. Alyssa had watched this movie with them once, so she was slightly more prepared – she decided to try to fall asleep. If Dominic scared her later, though, she would smother him while he was sleeping._

_Thanksgiving Day:_

_It was slightly after three in the afternoon, they had all just finished an early dinner, and Alyssa followed Dom upstairs, both of them going slower than they probably ever had in their lives. They went to his room and both collapsed carefully on the bed with simultaneous groans._

"_So full", she whined, "I won't be hungry again 'til I'm twenty-five."_

_Dom laughed, then winced, "No, you'll be starving tomorrow morning just like I will", he refuted._

"_Geez, I think I ate more than you", she whimpered._

_He looked over at her, raising an eyebrow, "Might have", he shook his head; "You were really packing it in down there."_

"_Oh, shut up", she grumbled. He reached over to poke her side, and she swatted his hand away in irritation. "_Kill_ me, don't poke me", she complained pulling a pillow over her face._

"_Just trying to figure out where you put it all", he teased._

_Mia's voice trailed up the stairs, "Where'd you guys go?"_

"_In here", Alyssa called weakly. Dom laughed again and Mia appeared in the doorway._

"_What are you guys doing?" she asked curiously._

"_Dying", Alyssa moaned picking the pillow up slightly._

"_Oh, god, can I join you?" Mia muttered. "I've never eaten so much in my life."_

_Alyssa pushed Dom until he moved over and she followed cautiously with a whine, "Come on", she said to Mia, patting the empty spot on the bed._

_Dominic turned on his side to face them, propping his head up with one hand, and Alyssa shuffled over again slightly. "What are Vince and Letty doing?" he asked._

"_Starting on the pies", Mia said incredulously. "I couldn't watch."_

"_Ugh, seriously?" Alyssa muttered._

"_What", Dom laughed, "you don't want a giant piece of-"_

_Alyssa smacked him in the face with the pillow and fell unceremoniously back onto the bed. "That was too much effort", she hissed. "I'll hurt you tomorrow." He just chuckled._

"_Dad, Aunt Rita, and Mrs. Ortiz excused us from cleaning since we helped cook – and I think they figured none of us could move", Mia chuckled._

"_What'cha guys doing?" Letty asked coming into the room. Vince was behind her, and they both had plates with pie._

"_Hiding from the food", Mia grumbled. "How are you guys still eating?"_

"_I didn't stuff myself on turkey", Letty said with a laugh._

"_I've got hollow legs", Vince said shoving a forkful of pie into his mouth._

"_I don't want to even _look_ at food", Alyssa whined._

"_Well, gee", Letty said sarcastically, "I'm not surprised – you ate like a cow", she smirked._

_That set Alyssa off on a laughing fit, and she held her stomach, "Damn, Letty, that hurts – I feel like I ate an entire turkey."_

"_The next person swearing has to come clean up the rest of this mess", Mr. T. called up the stairs laughing, "Whether they feel like they ate an entire turkey, or not."_

"_Sorry!" Alyssa shouted back. "How the heck did he hear that?" she hissed. Everyone else laughed. "Don't laugh", she warned, "that means the rest of you are screwed – not me."_

"_I'd sit on you, but that'd be too much effort", Dom grumbled._

_Alyssa snickered, "A soon as I can move, I'm putting pajama pants on", she whimpered putting the pillow back over her head. "I shouldn't have worn jeans." A few seconds later, she nearly shot off the bed feeling a hand tugging at the button on her jeans, "Holy crap!" she shrieked smacking at the offending hand._

_Dom laughed, and everyone else snickered and he tugged her back down."Stop twitching like a spazz", he said in her ear._

"_What the heck do you think you're _doing_?" she hissed as her zipper was pulled down. But she let out an immediate sigh of relief, "Oh, never mind", she muttered, letting him tug her shirt down to cover the open zipper. "Next time warn me before you try taking my clothes off, sheesh."_


	11. Chapter 11Part 1

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 11**_

Alyssa had helped Brian pack under protestation – from him – because she didn't trust his packing skills, while Mia had watched them argue, laughing from her spot on the bed.

"I'm a grown man", Brian grumbled, "I can put shit in a suitcase without supervision."

She snorted, "I beg to differ." Alyssa put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows pointedly. "We drove from Miami to New Hampshire, you forgot _socks_", she said flatly, clearly unimpressed.

Brian winced. She had had a laughing fit, and laughingly offered him a pair of pink polka-dotted ones from her suitcase. He had opted for the gift shop at the hotel and ended up with a pair of golf socks that weren't much better.

"We flew to Toronto and you forgot your _toothbrush_ and had to borrow mine", she continued. Mia giggled.

"_Alright_", Brian snarled at her aggravatedly.

Alyssa plopped down next to Mia on their giant bed happily, leaning back on her elbows comfortably to watch carefully. Brian was still glaring at her even as he looked through the closet, and she tried not to grin. She chatted with Mia over a celebrity gossip magazine for the next twenty minutes until Brian cleared his throat pointedly.

"Can I put it in the suitcase now, mom?" Brian muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Alyssa looked over the pile briefly, and immediately raised an incredulous, teasing eyebrow. "Only if you plan on going commando while we're gone", she said boredly. "And if you are… eww, don't tell me. Pack boxers please."

"Fuck", he complained going back to the dresser.

Mia let out a giggle, "I never noticed he was so bad at this."

"Can't take him anywhere", Alyssa grinned playfully.

"He doesn't pack enough, and you always packed too much", Mia laughed, "perfect traveling companions."

"That would only work for you and me, Mia", Alyssa chuckled. "You could at least borrow my clothes."

"Oh, hell no", Brian grumbled seriously, "She's staying outta your closet."

"Brian, I think I'm a little offended by that", Alyssa said shaking her head.

"I've _seen_ the contents of your closet", he muttered. "I was offended by _that_."

She laughed, "Drama queen."

"You're like my sister or something", he muttered. "I don't need to know what color thongs you have."

"Why, did she get new ones?" Dom queried from the hallway.

"_No_", Alyssa said sarcastically glancing in his direction, "I haven't bought new lingerie in six years." She rolled her eyes. "Why do you always pop up when someone is talking about my undergarments? That's fucking disturbing."

"Just luck", he smirked.

She climbed off the bed reluctantly, "My turn to go pack, I guess", she complained. She stopped at the doorway, "_Oh_, dress shoes, Bri", she reminded. "Come on Dom, you can take new inventory", she teased as he followed her.

She shrieked a nearly inaudible protest as he swatted her ass, and she heard Mia's groan of disgust. "Keep that freaky shit behind closed doors", Mia pleaded.

Alyssa just laughed, "You first", she shouted playfully.

"Shut _up_", Dom grumbled as they climbed to the third floor. "That's my sister."

"Yeah and why do you think you and Letty were banished to the third floor?" Alyssa asked seriously as they went to her room. "You and Letty are fucking _loud_, and she didn't want to hear it – can't say I blame her."

"Eh, well-" he muttered uneasily. Alyssa went to the dresser and started digging appropriate clothes out, a Cheshire cat grin on her face. "What the hell do you think is so amusing?" he demanded from behind her.

She looked up and nearly smacked herself – _mirrors_ always fucked her over. "Nothing", she murmured, flushing hotly and going for the closet.

"Bullshit", he said tonelessly. "What are you blushing for?"

"I'm not", she said shaking her head.

"The hell you're not", he refuted. She could practically _hear_ him raising his eyebrows at her.

"Go sit down", she said firmly as she heard his footsteps come in her direction. If she didn't stop him, he would be in front of her making that _face_, and she would be _screwed_.

Surprisingly, he backtracked, flopping himself down against the pillows, sitting with his back against the headboard. "Tell me", he said after a minute of silence. The man was like a dog with a bone and he had no patience.

"Dom, _leave it_", she snarled. She threw a pair of jeans at the bed viciously.

He groaned, pulling himself up from the bed and stalking towards her purposefully. He trailed her around the room until he finally pinned her against the wall near the closet. "I'm not going to _leave_ anything when you're acting like this", he said darkly.

"This _what_?" she insisted, not at all intimidated by the fact that he was towering over her.

"You know what", he said evenly. "And I'm not going to say it just because you want to start a fight."

"Then get out", she snapped. Then she was in the air. _Oh, fuck_, she thought.

His hands were firmly on her hipbones and he was holding her nearly six inches off the floor so they were at eye-level. She had to brace her hands on his shoulders so she wouldn't feel like she was going to fall. She hated this _way_ more than when he was towering over her, and he knew it. They were reverting – this was going to end badly. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he hissed at her.

"Put me down, Dom", she growled, "_now_. We don't need to talk about every single _fucking_ thing. I refuse to embarrass myself because you need to know everything."

He dropped her unceremoniously to the ground, all the while giving her, what she called his 'death glare'. He turned to leave but didn't get even half-way to the door before she stopped him. "_Shit_, Dom… stay."

He turned and gave her an irritated look – which she wasn't entirely sure she deserved at the moment. "Could you pick a personality and _stick_ with it", he said bitingly.

Alyssa winced, "_Please_". She couldn't bear for him to leave now – not like this. She couldn't tell him that it had taken her until this morning to realize that she had had a full conversation with him while he had been in bed with Letty – decidedly _not_ sleeping. That wasn't _normal_. The complete and utter lack of embarrassment from either of them was _wrong_. To an extent, she supposed it was better this way – they were comfortable with each other… and that was also the problem. When did comfortable become _too_ comfortable?

"Can we just rewind? I don't want to fight with you right now", she said quietly.

He muttered something unintelligible under his breath, but went back to the bed. She went back to the dresser calmly, fully aware that he was watching her, and waited for him to speak. "Why are you going with him?" he asked quietly.

"To make sure he comes back", she said lightly. "And Brian _honestly_ sucks at comforting teary females", she muttered rolling her eyes. She wasn't sure it would be the best idea to mention that she was half-serious about the first part.

"That doesn't explain your feelings of obligation", he said seriously.

Alyssa closed her eyes momentarily, preparing herself, and turned around to look at him, face unreadable. She went and pushed the door shut quietly. She walked back to the foot of the bed and stopped, folding her arms across her chest, "Dom, some things really aren't my place to say", she muttered.

"But you're going to answer my question", he answered.

She nodded, "Yeah, I am", she said seriously, "but only because you don't realize-" she cut herself off, clearly annoyed. Alyssa changed tactics, "Dominic, what do you think Brian did before he met you guys?"

She watched as his brows furrowed thoughtfully, "He was a cop", he said slowly.

Alyssa hissed at him. "He has a _family_, Dom – who I'm fairly certain he's only seen several times since you guys have been gone. And I only know that because he kidnapped me and made me go with him. A family, I might add, that you've never heard about until this week. Now why the hell do you think that is?"

"I just assumed-"

She shook her head, "I know what you assumed. And I let him deal with this shit his way because it wasn't any of my damn business, and mostly because he's happy _here_. But he had a life before all of this, and you've always taken the fact that he didn't for granted without even asking. When he let you go six years ago, he lost more than his job. Even knowing that his parents didn't want him to be a cop, do you really think they were happy he threw away everything he worked for on someone he only knew for a few months?"

"Fuck", Dom murmured. Alyssa said nothing, going to the side of the bed and crawling underneath it to dig out one of her suitcases. When she reemerged, Dom was looking mildly amused, but still pensive. He sighed, "Should I go talk to him?"

Alyssa shook her head, "No – it wasn't my place to tell you, but I'm about fed up with all of it. Wait until we get back, alright? After Rome and Anna leave."

Dom smiled wryly at her, "What's with you inviting people to stay here?" he said raising an eyebrow.

Alyssa grinned, "Dominic, the basis of our relationship has always been you telling me what to do, and me not listening – that hasn't changed."

He laughed, "And where are we putting them?"

"Anna can stay with me", Alyssa said. "Rome – hell, he can sleep on the porch if he wants", she said with a smirk.

"Or the other guest room", Dom suggested pointedly.

She did a double-take, "What did you just say?"

"What?" Dom asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

"Did you just say there was another guest room?" she said slowly.

"Yeah, why?" Dom questioned.

"Those scheming _idiots_", Alyssa said, eyes widening

"Who?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Brian and your lovely sister", Alyssa said incredulously. "They told me this was the only guest room."

Dom laughed momentarily at the look on her face, "Payback?" he suggested finally.

"Oh, hell yeah", Alyssa said shaking her head. "I'm going to hide all of Mia's shoes tonight – it will take her until after we get back to find them all", she said seriously.

"Oh, shit", Dom laughed, "She'll kill you."

"I can take her", she muttered. "And Brian's hair is getting dyed green as soon as we get back", she said darkly. "He put blue dye in my shampoo once when I was staying with him for the weekend – and the next night he wrote 'Smurf' on my forehead in permanent marker. Rome still calls me 'Smurfette'", she complained. "That's what he has my name listed as in his phone contacts", she rolled her eyes.

Dom was trying not to laugh, "Well, that's _unfortunate_."

Alyssa laughed, "Shut up", she muttered. She shot one of her thongs at him, rubber band-style. They landed on his head and she collapsed in giggles.

"What are you retards _doing_?" Letty asked incredulously coming into the room. "I could hear you guys cackling from the second floor."

"I'm _trying_ to pack", Alyssa choked out. Dom removed the offensive article of clothing from his vicinity, throwing it back at her with an incredulous look on his face.

"Dominic, stop playing in her laundry", Letty scolded playfully.

"She is _not_ trying to pack – she's plotting evil", Dom said with a chuckle.

"I'm _multi-tasking_", Alyssa sang, "I can do both."

"Who are we plotting against?" Letty asked raising her eyebrows.

"Brian and Mia", Alyssa grumbled. "It really should be the rest of them _too_", she muttered, "But they planned it."

"They told her we only had one guest room", Dom laughed.

Letty coughed guiltily. Alyssa narrowed her eyes and started after her, forcing her towards the middle of the room. "You are _so_ dead", Alyssa said seriously and she playfully tackled Letty to the bed where she and Dom double-teamed her and started an unfair tickle-fest.

Alyssa sneaked into Mia's closet while they were all sleeping that night and took her shoes.

00

"Kayla is picking us up from the airport", Alyssa told Brian the next morning as they got into Letty's car – seeing as it was the only one with an actual backseat besides Alyssa's which only Brian really like to drive. Alyssa climbed into the front seat with Letty after throwing her suitcase into the trunk, and left the backseat to Brian and Mia – who had borrowed a pair of Letty's tennis shoes.

Mia had had a fit that morning when she realized the entire shoe side of her closet was _empty_. She blamed Vince, but went around threatening everyone in the household with air of an irate Italian woman. Alyssa had her shoes hidden intermittently throughout the house – _not_ in pairs, just to driver Mia crazy. Then she went on her laptop and created a new, non-descript, e-mail address and had a ransom note programmed to send at three a.m. the next night –when they were gone – that would lead Mia to her first shoe. Mia had _forty_ pairs of shoes.

"Good", Brian muttered getting in with Mia, "San Francisco taxi drivers are assholes."

Alyssa laughed, dropping the visor and looking at Brian in the mirror, "Not true – you just have bad luck", she pointed out.

"Same thing", he grumbled as Letty sped down the road towards the city.

"She'll take us to my apartment so we can get my car – she said that she left it there last time she went to water plants", Alyssa said.

"How you've managed to keep plants alive is beyond me", Letty muttered. "You are _not_ a green-thumb."

"To be fair, I have just have two cactuses", Alyssa said raising an eyebrow.

"That explains a lot", Mia murmured in amusement.

"If plants required other attention, I wouldn't forget to water them", Alyssa defended, "But they just sit there and do nothing. Plants belong outside."

Brian snorted, "Whatever – if you kill the cactuses, though, I'll worry", he said.

"No comments from the peanut gallery", Alyssa replied boredly.

He flicked her ear, "Peanut gallery my ass", he laughed.

Alyssa grabbed her flip-flop from her foot and turned around, half climbing between the seats and started thwapping him with it. "You are _so annoying!_" she complained.

"Don't make me come back there", Letty monotoned over the raucous. "Alyssa, get back in your seat and put your seatbelt on. Stop hitting him or I'll pull the car over."

"_Mommm"_, she whined playfully pulling herself upright. "He's being a _jerk_!"

"Oh, _Christ_", Letty laughed. "This is gonna be my life, isn't it?"

Alyssa started laughing until tears streamed down her cheeks, Mia and Brian not far behind. "_Yes_", Alyssa laughed, "Yes, it is."

00

Alyssa followed Brian off the plane thankfully. Turbulence had made her nauseous, and she was sure Brian had permanent nail marks in his arm, but he didn't say anything. They had only one bag each, so there was no need to pick up anything from the carousel, and they headed through the crowd to the pick-up lane outside the San Francisco airport. She had texted Kayla when they landed and she was already there, driving around the parking lot.

They were half-way to the doors when Brian pointed a ways down the other hall, "Bathroom run?" he questioned amusedly.

Alyssa just rolled her eyes and shook her head, still walking, "Hell, no – get me outta here." Brian smirked at the back of her head knowingly but said nothing and followed her out the doors. She spotted Kayla's dark green Explorer and waved when she saw her friend get out of the car.

"Kayla-Layla", Alyssa sang playfully when she was wrapped in a tight hug. "Miss me or something?" she teased tugging on the ends of her friend's layered, dirty-blonde hair.

"Duh, you bitch", Kayla said holding her at arms' length and looking her over. "Damn, girl, you look good. You were only gone a _week_, and look at this tan! You look better than when you left."

"I should hope so", Brian said from behind her. "She looked like death warmed over when I picked her up from the airport."

"You said I looked good", Alyssa said whirling around.

"You looked exhausted", he said flatly, "And a little green from the plane."

"Okay, okay", Alyssa said calmly. "Well, in any case, I've caught up on sleep while I've been gone", she said.

"Hey, Brian", Kayla said grinning.

"Kayla", he returned, laughing a little.

"You been keeping this one in line?" she asked pointing a thumb at Alyssa.

He rolled his eyes, "Nah, I leave that to Dom and Vince – she doesn't listen to me anyways", he said with a smirk.

Alyssa groaned. "Not funny, Brian", she grumbled.

"You have more boys to play with?" Kayla asked curiously.

Alyssa winced, "Not exactly… look, we should get in the car before the police try to have you towed. We can talk at home." She went to the driver's side door and opened it, unlatching the hatchback and threw her luggage in before climbing into the backseat to stretch out.

"Someone's _cranky_", Kayla commented, whistling through her teeth.

"Plane turbulence", Brian muttered vaguely before they got into the car.

00

Kayla drove them back to Alyssa's apartment while the three of them chatted idly, mostly Alyssa prompting Kayla for details of what had happened while she had been gone – making sure to leave no room for any questioning directed at her. She didn't want to deal right now. "Brian, it's a four hour drive to your parents' house… you mind if we leave tomorrow? Unless you want to drive – I'm beat. Travelling is exhausting."

He shrugged, "We can leave by eight and get there by noon – I didn't tell them to expect us today." She knew he was about as thrilled to go there as she had been when she had flown to Mexico.

"Thanks", she said quietly. "Kayla, you spending the night so we can catch up?"

Kayla flashed a smile at her in the rearview mirror, "Sure, hon. We can order pizza for dinner – no need for cooking."

"Damn right", Alyssa muttered. Then she grinned and kicked the back of Brian's seat playfully, "Ready for a slumber party, baby?"

He let out an amused laughed, "Don't make me come back there."

Alyssa laughed, "God, Letty cracks me up."

"Just don't try to wax my eyebrows", Brian said with a grimace a minute later. "That really hurt."

"_What?_" Kayla demanded laughing. "What did you do to him, Ali?"

"We were _both_ drunk", Alyssa defended. "It seemed like a good idea at the time!"


	12. Chapter 11Part 2

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 11 and a half**_

They settled in Alyssa's living room around the coffee table that evening eating straight out of the pizza box, listening to some music from the stereo system in the corner when Alyssa spoke. "I'm having flashbacks to when I was seventeen", she laughed. "No plates, no silverware, _forget_ napkins – we always ate like such slobs."

"You guys _still_ eat like slobs", Brian chuckled.

"True", Alyssa grinned. "But on the upside, living in the same house with Vince prevented me from having a weak stomach."

Brian grimaced, "I can imagine. How long did it take you to get over his eating habits?" he laughed.

"That never really bothered me", Alyssa admitted. "It was the time he puked on me, his generally not knowing how to clean up after himself, and him always walking in on me naked in the bathroom that really pissed me off. Of course, Dom did _that_ too", she rolled her eyes. "They owed me ten bucks every time they walked in without knocking. There was a _fee_ _jar_", she laughed.

"I wanna hear about your family", Kayla said quietly after a minute. "You never talk about them. I only know about your brother."

Alyssa sighed, looking between her and Brian reluctantly. "I'll just tell you the highlights", she murmured. "I lived in New Jersey until I was six, then my parents moved us to New York until I the summer before I turned fifteen. They bought a one-bedroom apartment and made sure all of my stuff was there… and then they left, telling me they were going to Europe. I haven't seen them since. When I was nineteen – when Dom was still in prison, my brother called me and said that he was contacted by the British Embassy – our dad and my mother had disappeared."

Brian was giving her an incredulous look, "How the hell didn't I know that?"

She looked over at him tiredly, "That's not something I tell everyone, Brian."

"You _have_ family though", Kayla said quietly, "Right?"

"My brother is my only biological relative that I'm aware of", she answered.

"When did you move into Dom's?" Brian asked quietly.

Alyssa chuckled lightly, "When I was fifteen. I had only been friends with them for six months. As far as I'm concerned, the Toretto's _are_ my family, Kay."

"Okay", Kayla said slowly, "Who are _they_?"

Brian groaned then, "You didn't tell her anything, did you?" he complained.

"Brian, don't even whine at me", Alyssa scolded. "I met her less than a week after Dom kicked me out – and they were still all over the news. I was pissed, not stupid."

"And you were pissed at me for keeping secrets from Dom?" Brian asked pointedly.

Alyssa deflated slightly, "_Brian_, Dom is Dom – and that's just different", she sighed.

"I've never understood the two of you", he said quietly.

Alyssa snorted, "Join the club", she murmured under her breath.

Kayla interrupted what she assumed would turn into a bitch-fest, "Alright, so tell me what-"

Alyssa's phone rang: _You make me wanna smoke a cigarette; you make me wanna be someone else._

Brian chuckled, "Dom's ringtone?"

Alyssa nodded and grabbed the phone from next to her on the table, "_Oi_, _papi_, what's up?" she answered, vaguely amused that he was calling already.

"Mia is throwing a shit fit since she found one of her black boots in the bottom kitchen cupboard", he said. She could tell he was grinning.

"Well, isn't that _unfortunate_", she repeated playfully, turning to lean against the couch.

"I hope you're happy: she's tearing the house apart", he said flatly.

"And her neat freak-self can put it back together", Alyssa said unsympathetically.

"Letty locked herself in our room and won't come out so Mia can't make her help with the shoe search", he grumbled.

"And where does that leave you?" she asked knowingly.

"Your room", he answered.

"You gonna get to work on that soon?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"Work on what?"

"The baby nursery", she said patiently. "It's kind of perfect for now, to have the baby close by."

"Haven't really had time to think about it", he said thoughtfully.

She groaned, "Seriously, Dom?" He huffed at her. "Can I paint it?" she asked after a minute.

"You want to paint it", he restated.

She rolled her eyes, "That's what I just said, smartass." She heard Brian chuckle. She flicked him off. "Just say yes, Dom, alright? I know Letty's gonna want to re-do it all, but paint fumes aren't good for the baby, so she can't. She can pick out paint colors and whatnot, but she's gonna keep her ass outta there while I'm decorating."

"You gonna enforce that rule?" he said laughing. "She won't like that."

"Tough shit", Alyssa said flatly. "You get to do all the heavy stuff", she offered with a grin.

"Thanks", he said wryly. "Where are you now?" he asked momentarily.

"In San Francisco, at my apartment", she said slowly.

"And Brian?" he questioned.

"He's here too", she answered suspiciously. She saw Brian give her a curious look and she shook her head.

"Not at his parents' house?" he muttered.

"We're heading there in the morning", Alyssa said frowning. "Did you just call me to bitch at me for making Mia a pain in the ass?" she asked curiously, "Because seriously, she deserved it. I asked her not to meddle. She may look cute and innocent – but she's really not", Alyssa said darkly. "And I knew it since the first Thanksgiving at your house when she cracked an egg on my _head_."

Dom laughed aloud, "I forgot about that."

"God, we destroyed that kitchen", Alyssa laughed.

"You never told me", he said persuasively, "_were_ you and Letty naked in the shower?"

She laughed, "My god, you're a perv. Just for that, I'll leave it to your imagination."

He groaned, "_'Lyssa_."

She chuckled, "I'm glad I pushed you off the bed that day", she teased. "_Dumb-alligator!_" she giggled.

He laughed so loud she took the phone away from her ear and stared at it.

"Are you _quite_ finished?" she called exasperatedly. Kayla stared over at her interestedly.

"Yeah, yeah, come back", he murmured.

She chuckled, "My _ears_ – they're sort of important you know", she chided.

"Okay, that man has a _sexy_ voice", Kayla said.

Alyssa nearly died. "Who's that?" Dom asked amusedly.

"My no-longer best friend Kayla", she answered severely. "She picked us up from the airport and she's staying the night so we can catch up. But now I think I'm gonna have to kick her out."

Dom chuckled, "And she thinks I have a sexy voice?"

"Apparently", Alyssa said grudgingly.

He snickered. "What's got you so upset?" he asked in a low tone.

"Dom, _stop_ it", she hissed.

"What's wrong?" he persisted.

"Don't start with me, Toretto", she warned. "That fucking _voice_ is the reason I nearly crashed your car when you were teaching me to drive, and you know it." Brian laughed. "Go work that sexy, fuck hot voice on Letty to get back into _your_ bedroom", she growled in annoyance.

She heard some shuffling. "You didn't think it was appropriate to pack your lacy yellow thong?" he questioned innocently.

Alyssa let out a shriek of indignation, "_Get out of my underwear drawer!_"

"Aw, play nice, baby", he teased. "You said I could take inventory."

She hung up on him. Then set the phone back on the table and stared at I like it was going to bite her.

"What the hell was that?" Kayla asked incredulously.

"Self-preservation", Alyssa said seriously.

"My _god_", Brian muttered. "What did Dom want?"

"To check up on me, I think", she said incredulously. "And to yell at me for hiding Mia's shoes", she laughed.

"_You_ did that? She's gonna kick your ass", Brian said incredulously.

"Nope, see, Dom happened to mention to me last night while I was packing that there _was_ in fact another guest room", she said raising an eyebrow. "You guys are _busted._"

Brian gave a comical look of horror. "But I – she, oh, _shit_, fine", he muttered.

"I'm going to be nice and wait until we get back to Dom's for your impending revenge. I asked you both to stay _out_ of it, Brian", she reminded. "_That's_ the only reason I didn't kick _Letty's_ ass last night – we never talked about it in terms of fixing it."

"You couldn't kick Letty's ass if you tried", Brian laughed.

"Brian, I've take kick-boxing for eleven years – I could kick her ass", she said flatly. "The girl packs a wicked punch though. I'm not saying I'd win, I just think we'd be about even – if we really went at it."

Brian just laughed.

"And quite honestly, I'm surprised Mia doesn't already think I did it", Alyssa said smirking. "I did this to her before."

"_Why_?" Brian complained.

"It was right before she was nearly eighteen", Alyssa said thinking back. "This guy was in the garage to pick up his car, and he was flirting with me – Mia had closed the shop early and walked over to us, completely _ignoring_ me. She turned to the guy saying that if he tried to ask me out, when my boyfriend got out of prison he would kick his ass", she said shaking her head incredulously. "That guy hauled ass outta there, Vince was in the back laughing because he had been eavesdropping, and I started a fight with Mia. I told her I had it _handled_, and she shouldn't have meddled. Mia was pissed and wouldn't talk to me for two days – so I stole her shoes. She didn't have so many back then, but she was _pissed_."

Brian was looking at her like she was nuts, and Kayla was chuckling. "Is Dom pissed that you did it?" Brian asked. "I mean, you don't even have to be there while she's playing crazy-Italian."

Alyssa raised an eyebrow and shook her head, "Nope, I warned him last night. And as a sidebar, I had told him about the guy at the garage when I went to visit him the next time – he thought it was pretty funny that Mia got all worked up about it."

"I'm sorry", Kayla said after a moment, "Did I hear you call Mr. Sexy-voice _papi_?"

Alyssa laughed, "Yeah, so? And please don't call him that, geez."

"Are you aware of what that _means_?" she asked seriously.

"Yes", Alyssa said seriously, "And I'm the only one besides Letty who's allowed to call him that."

Brian tilted his head thoughtfully, "Why _do_ you call him that? You have ever since the first day I met you – so I really never questioned it. Except I thought maybe you were sleeping with him or something – but that's like a boyfriend nickname, right?"

Alyssa let out a peal of laughter, "Yes, but that's not why _I_ call him that. That's mostly why Letty says it, but that's not my reason – otherwise I wouldn't still do it."

"Then why?" he asked.

She turned serious, "Affection – and from me, at least, it's a sign of respect. He knows that."

"What, you talked to him about it?" Brian asked incredulously.

She sighed, "Yeah, we did talk about it – among other things. I know most of what you've seen from us for the past six years has been silence, and even before that things were starting to spiral… but yes, we _did_ talk, a lot, about nearly everything. He was my best friend – still is in some ways."

"And Mia and Letty?" Brian asked curiously.

"They're my sisters, Brian – nothing trumps that", she answered quietly.

"But you don't say Dom is your brother", he said pointedly.

She laughed, "Hell, no. we might be just a little too familiar with each other for that. I mean, in some aspects, yeah, but we're too many other things to each other for that."

"What was he doing in your underwear drawer?" Kayla demanded.

Alyssa laughed. "Getting back into his bedroom", she explained grinning. "There's a key to their door taped to the bottom. Letty locked everyone out so Mia would make her search for shoes."

00

The next morning, Alyssa and Brian piled all their things into the trunk of her Aston Martin, Kayla was still sleeping and Alyssa knew she would lock up everything when she left for work a little bit later.

They drove straight through, only stopping at the gas station once and arrived a little after twelve-thirty seeing as they had gotten stuck in rush hour traffic, _twice_. Brian had just sat laughing in the passenger seat at her while she was swearing at all the stopped cars on the highway and she finally cranked the radio up loud enough to drown him out.

Alyssa beeped the horn of the car as she pulled into the driveway of a blue two-story house with grey shutters that matched the shingles of the roof. "Let's leave our stuff in the car for now", she suggested warily before getting out. Brian nodded and she followed him towards the house. The front door opened to reveal a blonde woman whose looks clearly belied her age. Both Brian and his brother had gotten most of their looks from their mother: startling blue eyes, golden hair, and tanned complexion. Lillian O'Conner, who went by Lilly, was a vivacious woman who looked nowhere near the fifty-two years of life she had actually experienced. Brian had inherited her perpetually twinkling eyes and carefree smile.

Her lithe body travelled down the porch steps gracefully in heeled sandals that matched her bright blue and white knee-length sundress. "Boy, you better get over here", she demanded impatiently, stopping several feet away, hands on her hips, a tapping foot adding to the comical effect. This woman had raised two sons, and she had a no-bullshit attitude that Alyssa couldn't help but admire.

Alyssa nudged Brian with her shoulder – not that he really needed any prompting – and he went and pulled the older woman into a tight hug. Alyssa looked away, not only because she knew she didn't belong here, but because it had been so long since she had had anyone play a parental role to her and it took her the duration of their exchange to get her emotions in check. Alyssa hid a grin, though, as Lilly scolded her son for allowing such lengths of time between visits, and nearly laughed aloud at the look on Brian's face – deer in the headlights panic.

Alyssa waited another minute or so before stopping the onslaught of mushiness. "Hey, Mrs. O'C", she called playfully walking over.

"Miss Alyssa", she said looking over smiling. "Nice to see you got my son to come for a visit – even under these circumstances." Alyssa stepped up to give the woman a gentle side-hug.

"Oh, I had very little to do with that", Alyssa muttered, fighting away the sting of memories. "He threatened to leave me at the airport."

"You're an awful travelling companion", Brian joked.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows, "If I trusted you to pack _and_ not subject poor Anna to a trip to the zoo, you could have come by yourself. Weepy females are not your forte."

The blonde woman laughed, "You", she pointed to Alyssa, "know you can call me Lilly. And no, none of the men in this family are comfortable with tears."

"Not just tears", Alyssa added, shaking her head in amusement, "General crankiness seems to confuse them as well."

"Very true", Lilly laughed. "I suppose you're keeping your luggage hidden in case there's a confrontation with the firing squad?" she asked pointedly.

"Nope", they answered in tandem. "Just don't feel like carrying it all in right now", Brian lied.

His mother gave a knowing grin, "Right. Between you and your father, and her and David… which I don't want to know about, by the way, I bet you two are planning to go stay at a hotel."

"No reservations made, Lilly", Alyssa said. "We'll try to behave ourselves."

"Just don't roll over and play opossum", she said raising her eyebrows.

Brian chuckled, grabbing Alyssa in a headlock, "I don't think she even knows how to _do_ that", he teased.

"Ugh, _Brian_", she complained, reaching around to poke him in the side until he jumped away from her. "Idiot", she murmured.

"You sure _you_ two aren't dating?" Lilly asked in amusement.

"No way", Alyssa said seriously.

Brian nodded, "We'd drive each other crazy."

"Besides", Alyssa said grinning, "He's still in love with someone decidedly _not_ me."

Lilly smile softly, "Well, good for him. Your Mia doesn't mind you two travelling together?" she asked curiously.

Alyssa finally laughed, "Mia is practically my sister – and we don't have the same taste in men. She prefers Brian's boyishly charming good looks", she teased reaching over to pinch his cheek. He swatted her hand away in annoyance.

"And what about you, dear? Isn't it about time you found someone to fall in love with?" Lilly asked softly.

"And she likes guys who look like the Hulk", Brian said rolling his eyes.

Her jaw dropped, but before she could defend herself, her phone rang again. Alyssa took it out of her pocket incredulously, and Brian laughed. "He's calling me _again?_" she grumbled. "Are you _serious_? I'm not answering that."

"I would think that you shouldn't be ignoring a man's phone calls", Lilly said raising her eyebrows pointedly.

Brian laughed until Alyssa growled at him. "That's not true when it comes to my boys", she said amusedly. The phone stopped ringing and Alyssa clicked a few buttons and shot a text back instead telling him she'd call him later tonight. "I just talked to him last night anyways. I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm not gonna come back", she said to Brian. Brian just raised his eyebrows.

"Is he gonna call you every day then?" he smirked.

Alyssa made a face, "He can wait to harass me until we go back."

Lilly shook her head, "Let's go inside", she said. "I'm sure you're both eager to see everyone", she said playfully.

00

"I think they like you more than me", Brian muttered to her after dinner that night.

"That's 'cause they do", Rome said seriously. Alyssa was sitting on his lap on one of the back patio chairs. She laughed.

"Say everybody but David likes me better, and you'd be closer", Alyssa teased. "But he doesn't like you that much either – so it's a toss-up.

Anna came back outside, four cans of beer in her hands and she passed them around. "You guys picking on Brian again?" she scolded.

"You know it", Alyssa said grinning and opening her beer. "Dom would have a fit it he knew we were drinking Bud", she laughed, taking a cautious sip.

"He would kill _you_", Brian refuted. "He raised you a Corona girl."

"I _like_ Corona", she stated. "But I've broadened my horizons over the years. You know I prefer the hard stuff if I actually _want_ to get drunk. Corona is good for every other time because I'm used to it – and I just get a happy buzz."

"I think _I'm_ getting a happy buzz", Rome teased.

Alyssa and Anna laughed. Brian just shook his head, "Eww", he grumbled.

"As long as I don't _feel_ it buzz", Alyssa warned, "I won't hurt you."

"Get some Tequila in you, and you'll change your mind", Rome said knowingly.

"Oh, god", Alyssa muttered. "At least I warned you before-hand."

"Do you climb all over _everybody_ like that?" Anna giggled.

Alyssa buried her face in her hands, "_No_", she muttered.

"_Yes_", Brian argued.

Alyssa lifted her head slightly, "No, I usually only end up doing that to Dom", she muttered. "That fucker thinks it's _funny_", she snarled.

"Maybe you should stop doing Tequila", Anna laughed.

Alyssa gave her an incredulous look. Brian burst out laughing. "No", he said, "She won't. Because she always thinks it's a good idea at the time… and then she wants to hide from everybody the next morning."

Alyssa dropped her face in her arms against the table with a groan, "I can't _help_ it", she whined.

The sliding glass door from the kitchen screeched open, "What are you guys doing out here?" Brian's dad said with a chuckle. "Looks like a private party."

"Just reliving my most embarrassing moments, Steve", Alyssa said looking up. "Feel free to join", she chuckled.

"Torturing the guest, I see", he said amusedly, taking a seat at the table. "Do I want to know why you two are sharing when there are four other chairs out?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Steven O'Connor had light brown hair, blue eyes, and at 6'2, he could pull off an intimidating look quite well. David took after his father more so than Brian did in that aspect. Brian was about as intimidating as a Dachshund.

"I called seat check and when I came back he was sitting in my seat; so I sat on _him_", Alyssa explained. "It's the principle of the thing."

Brian snorted, "Besides, she may be a guest _here_, but she's not a guest to us", he laughed, "Especially to Rome."

"_Brian!_" she hissed incredulously, "Oh, my god."

"It's nice of your friend to let Anna and Rome come back with you two for a visit", Steve said after a minute.

Alyssa tried to stifle a laugh. Brian didn't bother. "Yes", she said mirthfully, "It is."

"Seeing as you didn't actually give him a choice", Brian laughed.

"You know if he'd actually minded he would have yelled at me", Alyssa grinned. "And I still would have won. He usually lets me take over the house when I'm there."

"This was more of a _hostile_ take-over", Brian chuckled.

"Your fault", she accused lightly.

00

The next few days passed fairly quickly, the small funeral took up an entire day, and all in all, it was a much calmer visit than the last – minus an interesting _mishap_. Brian managed to avoid a _difference of opinion_ with his father, and Alyssa only had the distinct pleasure of running into David once – and they managed to be cordial. Rome and Anna piled into her car and they drove back to her apartment for the night before Kayla took them back to the airport, shaking her head at the insanity that ensued during the forty minute ride to the airport.

Alyssa suffered through another distinctly soggy good-bye with her friend and promised to call when she knew the next time she would be back, and they all got on another plane back to Mexico. Alyssa had called Mia the night before to let her know when they would be arriving, but when they landed, she had still not heard who was actually picking them up. She was mildly surprised to find Dom and Mia waiting outside their terminal.

She stopped Rome short at Dom's steady glare and climbed off his back with a light laugh and took her suitcase form his other hand. "What the hell happened to your face?" Dom demanded.

"Aw, missed you to, sweet pea", Alyssa muttered. Alright, so she had a black eye, big deal. He was in front of her, hand on the side of her face, "I'm fine, dad", she chuckled playfully, pulling away.

Dom rolled his eyes at Brian, "I thought you were gonna keep an eye on her. What the hell happened?"

Brian shrugged, "Drunken bar fight. She started it; she finished it. It was over before I even got there. I don't fuck with her when she's that drunk, Dom – otherwise she usually gives me a black eye to match hers."

Dom muttered obscenities under his breath and Alyssa laughed. "Relax", she teased, "It only hurts when I blink. Say hi to our company", she prompted.

Brian laughed then, "Between you, her, and Letty, you guys would be the scariest set of parents ever."

"Ooh! High-five", Alyssa teased rolling her eyes.

Introductions were made and they went to pile into the cars. "_Dom_", Alyssa complained exasperatedly, "I'm _not_ climbing into the backseat of your car again."

He smirked, "I figured. Sit in the front – the rest are riding with Mia."

She nodded, saying nothing and climbed into the front seat. She fell asleep in the middle of him bitching at her for bar fighting. She slept through him carrying her up the stairs, and didn't wake up until the next morning.

00

"I swear to god, Dom, I draw the line at licking", she grumbled into her pillow the next morning. He laughed and slapped her ass through the blankets and she heard a small, high-pitched bark. "What the fuck?" she murmured confusedly.

"Wake up", he chuckled, "You've been sleeping for fifteen hours."

She pried an eye opened and stared at him blearily over her shoulder, "Did you just bark at me?" she muttered. There was a tiny weight placed on her upper back, near her shoulders and something cold and wet nuzzled at her ear, "_Ahhnn_", she whined trying to bury her head into the pillow, "What the hell is that?"

"God, I forgot how awful you were to wake up in the morning", he laughed under his breath. There was another bark.

"Is that a dog?" she croaked, finally gaining some comprehension. She peered over her shoulder again cautiously and saw a black and brown face. "Puppy", she stated scrunching her eyebrows, "Okay. Why is it in my bed?"

Dom snorted, "Because it's yours", he said pointedly.

"I don't have a dog", she muttered. Then he was shaking her through the covers – and there was another series of barks. "Watch your hands, Toretto", she grumbled at him.

"Could you _act_ alive?" he laughed. "Otherwise there'll be more to worry about than just my hands", he teased. She swatted the air in an effort to find him but gave up and just covered her neck with her hands. Hickeys as punishment for not waking up should be _illegal_.

She groaned incomprehensibly and sat up slowly, expecting a throbbing in her head that didn't come. "Okay, what now?" she asked, pulling her knees to her chest under the covers and resting her elbows on them. Then she noticed there were two puppies running around her bed – well, they were dive-bombing and belly-flopping on each other. "There's two", she stated confusedly.

"One's mine", he explained.

"Which one?" she muttered, tilting her head.

"The one with a thingy", he laughed.

She chuckled, voice still thick from sleep, "Seriously?" she laughed, "The fuck's wrong with you?" she teased.

He nudged her over and stretched out next to her, immediately being pounced on by two very _not_ tired Rottweiler puppies. "Come on", he teased, "Don't you want to share puppy children with me?"

"Dominic, I can barely keep my two cactuses alive", she grinned.

"Yes", he monotoned, "I've heard your theory on plants already. And Letty said I couldn't get one for me."

"Bending the rules?" Alyssa laughed.

"Of course", he agreed. "Besides, once she saw, she couldn't say no."

"We talking about the puppies or you?" Alyssa teased laying back down. "Gimme mine", she said after a minute.

Dom grabbed one and took a peak before dropping it on her chest, "These things are gonna be _huge_", she said with a slight glare.

"Yup", Dom agreed, not sounding guilty at all.

She chuckled, "Well, aren't you just the _cutest_ thing I've ever _seen_?" she baby-talked, picking the puppy up in her hands.

Dom raised an eyebrow in amusement, "You gonna name the rug-rat? 'Cause Jesse's down there talking puppy names… and it's kinda scary. He thinks I should name that one 'Stoner'", he said pointing to his – who was trying to bite his toe.

"That's not that bad", Alyssa said, "Kinda cute actually."

He nodded, "It's growing on me", he said amusedly. "You'd better pick a name", he warned, "Yours was gonna be 'Violet'.

She laughed, "Not for a Rottweiler!"

"So? Whatcha got?" he asked.

She tilted her head thoughtfully, glancing at the puppy gnawing on her thumb. A slow smile crept across her face. "Riley", she said finally.

"For a girl?" he wondered.

She nodded. "It works for both – but you can't steal it. I think it fits her."

"It's cute", he said after a minute. Then he sat up. "Come on. Get your sleepy ass outta bed, Ruca", he teased.

"Old lady!" she complained indignantly, trying to untangle herself from the covers and grabbing the puppies from the bed. "This _old lady_ is gonna kick your ass!" she said following him down the stairs.

"I dunno, you've been sleeping since four-thirty _yesterday afternoon_", he called over his shoulder. "It's nine a.m. – that sorta _screams_ old lady."

00

Alyssa looked down at the bowl of puppy chow sitting in front of her at the table. She looked across the kitchen, "I'm not eating that Dom", she dead-panned.

He chuckled, "Feed your puppy-child some breakfast."

She was holding her puppy in her lap and picked up her front paws playfully, turning in her chair, "Daddy's _silly_. Say 'I'm a dog – I'm not _allowed_ to eat at the table. Because if I do, I'm gonna steal the Thanksgiving turkey next year'", she muttered just loudly enough to be heard as she grabbed the dog dish from the table and went to put it in the corner with the other puppy bowl and set the puppy down in front of it. Laughter erupted throughout the kitchen and Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Dogs are like kids too. You think it's cute when they play tug of war with your shoes when there's no damage. But a few months later none of your sneakers cover your toes."

"Speaking of _shoes_", Mia grumbled clearing her throat, "Where the hell are all of _mine_?"

Alyssa shrugged, "Can't remember – just like you couldn't _remember_ not to meddle. I love you, but find them yourself."

Mia snarled at her, and Alyssa swallowed a laugh. Dom choked on his drink and Brian backed out of the room slowly. Mia stomped out of the kitchen irritatedly dragging Brian with her. "You're in _trouble_", Dom teased.

"Fuck that", Alyssa laughed, "She shoulda known better."

00

By dinner that night, Mia had found six more shoes and was slightly less rabid - she had four pairs now, and eight extra shoes.

"You guys all seem like you can pack it away", Anna stated at dinner. "I wanna hear all your worst hangover stories." Anna had immediately become a new favorite to the household. Her quick wit had amused Letty to no end, and she was an eye-catcher that none of the guys could stop staring at. Her skin was probably the whitest from anyone in the house, her eyes were an emerald green, and she had long, curly, blonde hair that was lighter than Brian's – she looked ethereal.

There was a simultaneous groan from everyone at the table. "You sure you wanna do that, hun?" Letty teased. "We've all got pretty bad ones – if we can remember", she laughed.

"Yup", Anna said decisively. "Hit me. And I want to know how old you were – it makes it funnier."

"Who wants to start", Leon chuckled.

Mia groaned, "I will; even though I feel like I'm getting thrown to the wolves." Alyssa snickered. "Shut up, Ali", she grumbled. "You and Vince were the ones who got me drunk."

Vince coughed, "That was funny."

"I was seventeen, and Vince turned twenty-one, and the three of us and Letty decided to celebrate the fact that he didn't have to use his fake ID anymore, and he went to the liquor store and bought like _everything_", Mia said rolling her eyes.

"Except Letty came over and fell _asleep_ by eleven that night", Alyssa glared playfully.

"I was _tired_", Letty said, eyes widening.

"Yeah, and we all knew _why_", Vince grumbled.

"_Anyways_", Mia interrupted, "while she was dead to the world, those two", she pointed accusingly, "Got me more drunk than I've ever been in my _entire_ life. To this _day_ I don't think I've drank that much _combined_ compared to that night. I passed out puking in the bathroom."

Dom raised his eyebrows at Alyssa, "Nice job, Mommy Number Two", he said shaking his head.

She threw her head back and laughed, "At least it was only us here – there wasn't a party." There were a few raised eyebrows at the exchange and a few snickers, but no one asked for clarification. "And at least _she_ learned from her drunken adventure – unlike any of the rest of us", she pointed out.

Vince cleared his throat, "My turn?" Alyssa glared. He rose up his hands innocently, "Hey, I don't remember puking on you", he defended.

"That wasn't your worst drunken moment – or hangover", she said dryly, "Might as well tell the truth, V."

He shrugged. She would be the one getting yelled at later – or now. "After I turned twenty-one, I went out to one of the bars with a few friends. We all got pretty trashed – I think, but I ended up in a fist fight with one of the guys who said I was flirting with his girlfriend. I probably did do that, but I had no idea what that guy was talking about. We ended up breaking a table and the manager called the cops", Vince grumbled.

"So I get a drunken phone call from _that_ knucklehead at three in the morning – which was a miracle, because he could barely remember the number when I came to get him twenty minutes later to bail him out of the county jail", Alyssa complained. "Got him home – I have no idea how I dragged his drunken ass into the house – _after_ he puked in the bushes. We nearly tumbled down the basement stairs because he _refused_ to go to the couch. I dumped him in bed and he only passed out after asking me if we were _going to do the nasty_", she shuddered, folding her arms across her chest.

Vince had the good grace to look sheepish. "I apologized for that", he muttered. Alyssa laughed.

"Good god", Dom grumbled, "I go to prison for two years and you all go crazy."

"Yeah", Alyssa dead-panned giving him a look, "it was all your fault." She rolled her eyes.

Leon and Jesse's worst hangovers were when they were sixteen right after Jesse's mom died and they got trashed at a party. Leon had lost his pants, didn't have any idea how, and had had to walk home in his boxers because Jesse had locked the keys in the car but neither had realized it until the next morning.

Brian, Rome, and Anna had ironically gotten drunk together at _prom_. They had gotten arrested for not only under-aged drinking – on school property – but indecent exposure, which was because Rome had decided that he didn't like his pants.

Dom had gotten his worst hangover the night that they had buried his father. Alyssa said nothing – she had been there, matching him beer for beer until they had gone through two _cases_ of Corona and fell asleep pressed against each other on the couch. The only reason she hadn't had as bad of a hangover as he'd had the next morning was because while he had just completely passed out, she had run to the bathroom to throw up before falling asleep. He shot her a look across the table, clearly having the same memory of that night that she'd had. She just gave a slight nod and looked away.

Letty had her worst _hangover_ when she was nineteen, when she, Alyssa, and Mia had discovered Goldschlager for the first time. They had passed around the bottle, drinking it straight until it was empty. That night had been prompted by an awful break-up with a guy that Letty didn't like very much to begin with, so she had drunk most of it herself. She threw up for two hours after she woke up, which had prompted the worst headache of her life, and had slept for nearly twenty-four hours straight after finally getting it out of her system.

It was about that time that Alyssa realized that everyone was looking at her expectantly. She looked around the table, eyes widening, "Oh, _shit_, how'd I end up last?" she complained.

"Because you've got the best drunken stories", Brian suggested with a laugh.

"Oh, god", she moaned, "I don't even know."

"The day after you got that letter was pretty bad", Vince muttered.

Alyssa shot him a warning look. "That wasn't my worst hangover – it just lasted the longest", she grumbled. Vince laughed.

"What about that time in Miami…" Brian started laughing.

"_No_", she grumbled resting her head on her arms on the table, "Shut up, Rome", she growled as he started laughing too. Anna let out a giggle. "Oh, _come on_", Alyssa whined. "You guys suck."

"Oh, wait", Letty said grinning. "I've got it", she said evilly.

"Oh, no, what?" Alyssa muttered.

"_You're_ seventeenth birthday party", Letty smirked.

There was a moments silence before half the table erupted in laughter. "Oh, my god", Alyssa moaned laughing. "That was so _bad_."

"What happened?" Brian chuckled.

"Her dangerous love for Tequila", Dom said wryly.

"You guys have to tell it, _seriously_", Alyssa muttered. "I don't even remember going to bed – just puking the next morning", she scrunched her face, "and maybe something about a _lamp_?" More laughter.

"Alright", Dom laughed. "I got this one. Even though you spent the entire night hiding from me because I kept trying to take away the Tequila _bottle_ you were walking around drinking out of like a Sippy cup."

_The house was fairly full of people – most that they were too drunk to remember. Vince was in the corner ripping into his electric guitar, Mia was trying to clean up behind people – which wasn't working very well, and besides her, Dominic and Letty were the most sober people there who had _lost_ the birthday girl._

"_Where the hell did she go?" Dom muttered._

_Letty came up behind him, "Dom! I'm pretty sure she's locked herself in the upstairs bathroom", she said in his ear over the music._

"_Ugh, why?" he complained._

_Letty chuckled, "She's pretty drunk I think. She yelled at me to fuck off", she said in amusement. "Now go pull that awesome boyfriend crap and make her come out. I'll bet anything she's sitting in the tub. It sounded like an echo." _

_Dom shook his head and went up the stairs. He tried the bathroom doorknob which was, of course, locked. "Ali, open up."_

"_Don't wanna – can't make me", she sang back immediately._

_He banged on the door, "Get outta there or I'll break the door down."_

"_Won't matter", she called. "You never knock anyways."_

"_What are you doing in there?" he tried again._

"_It's my party – I'll get drunk in the tub if I want to", she sang._

_He couldn't help but laugh, "That's not the right words."_

_The door opened then. "What?" she questioned, "You have to piss or something?"_

_He groaned when he got a good look at her, "You're not supposed to drink from the bottle", he scolded, pointing to the half-empty bottle of Tequila in her hand._

"_Why not? It tastes the same. It's yummy. It makes my mouth feel funny", she muttered, making frog-like tongue motions._

"_Jesus Christ, did you drink all of that?"_

"_Jesus didn't drink any of it", she said seriously. "I opened it and I haven't put it down."_

"_Okay, honey, you can't drink any more of that stuff", he said patiently, reaching for it._

"_Why not?" she repeated, hiding the bottle behind her back. "It's good."_

"_You won't feel good in the morning", he promised scrubbing his hands over his face. When he looked up, she was gone. He caught sight of her running drunkenly down the stairs. "Shit", he muttered following her._

_He grabbed Letty again downstairs, "I lost her – she has surprisingly fast reflexes. She's demolishing a bottle of Tequila", he complained. "She wouldn't let me close enough to take it away. She ran down here, did you see her?"_

"_No", Letty said glancing around. "Ask Mia, maybe she's seen her. I'll keep a lookout."_

"_If you catch her, Let, keep her and come find me. And whatever you do, don't mention anything about Jesus", he muttered._

_Letty made an incredulous face, laughing, "What?" But he was gone._

_0_

"_Mia, you have to help me hide!" Alyssa pleaded, drawing out all the vowels unnecessarily. "Dom's trying to take my _bottle_", she whined taking another gulp._

"_Well, maybe you should give it to him", Mia suggested carefully._

"_Traitor!" she accused._

"_Why don't you give me the bottle", Mia tried persuasively._

"_Oh, shit, he's coming", Alyssa said, going wide-eyed. She ran towards the kitchen._

"_Mia, have you seen Ali?" Dom grumbled._

"_Just talked to her, she wouldn't give me the bottle, she's hiding from you – she ran to the kitchen", Mia rattled off obediently._

"_Thanks", he said over his shoulder. Mia just shook her head laughing._

_0_

_Dom missed her again in the kitchen, only realizing it when he heard a thud as she ran half into the wall as she tore back into the living room. "That's gonna hurt tomorrow", he muttered backtracking, "Among other things."_

_Letty was standing in the middle of the living room laughing when he came back, "Where'd she go?" he asked exasperatedly._

_Letty giggled and pointed across the room in the corner between the couches. "She might have broken the light bulb tossing the lamp stand behind the couch", she chuckled. "But she's stuck now."_

_Dom shook his head, "Never again will I let her near Tequila", he muttered. Alyssa was standing quite sedately, happily sure that she was hidden with her disguise as a lamp – lampshade on her head, and every few seconds lifting the bottle underneath it to take a drink._

"_Vince told her the lampshade would hide her", Letty laughed. _

"_That figures", Dom muttered as he stalked across the room. He snatched the bottle from her hand on another trip to her mouth, and swore when he saw it was about four shots from empty._

"_Give it!" she shrieked, still under the shade. He took it off her head, and lifted her by the waist, over the couches as she tried to fight him off._

"_Baby, you're gonna want to die in the morning", he said quietly, "Why don't we stop drinking and go to bed?" he suggested persuasively._

"_But, Dom-"_

_He laughed under his breath, "The only 'but' I wanna hear is yours going up the stairs."_

"_That's not right", she said confusedly, "That's a hommmmonym", she tried. "What the fuck is it?"_

"_I dunno", Dom laughed, "You're the Grammar guru."_

_She let her head drop on his chest, "I don't remember", she whined tiredly._

"_Sleepy?" She nodded. He picked her back up and carried her across the room. "Say goodnight to Letty", he muttered in her ear._

_Alyssa opened her eyes tiredly, "Which one?" she muttered confusedly. "There's like three."_

_Letty laughed. "Put her to bed, then help me empty the house", she chided._

_Dom carried her upstairs to his room and fought with her about pajamas that she refused to wear because they were _stupid_ – even as she tugged her jeans off. But in the end, he wrestled her into one of his shirts and got her in bed – where she fell asleep almost immediately as he tugged the covers up. He shook his head incredulously before heading down to help Letty with crowd control, and they all helped Mia clean the house before falling into bed._

_Dom woke up approximately seven hours later when he was jostled as Alyssa tried to untangle herself from him and watched slightly amused as she ran to the bathroom. He got up a minute a few seconds later when she started throwing up. She was hunched over the toilet, clinging to it unhappily when came in and sat down behind her, pulling her into his lap. "The bathroom floor is fucking cold", she complained in between bouts of puking._

"_You wouldn't put pants on last night", he chuckled._

"_My god", she croaked, "I don't remember any fucking thing that happened last night." And there was more puking. "What the fuck did I drink? I feel like shit."_

"_You should", he grimaced. "You demolished an entire bottle of Tequila by yourself. I spent two hours trying to get it away from you and you kept running away."_

"_Ow, my head", she moaned, "Fucking Tequila."_

"_No more Tequila?" he prompted._

"_Hell no", she grumbled, "Never again."_

"_You okay to go back to bed now?" he asked after a minute. "You should lie down."_

"_Okay", she muttered, struggling to stand. "Can I have some aspirin?" she whined._

_He laughed and opened the medicine cabinet, "Yeah."_

_She took the pills and swallowed them. Alyssa stopped as she was walking out to the hallway, making an absent minded grab, "Dominic, where the _hell_ is my bra?"_

_Dom groaned, "Hon, I swear you had it on when I put you to bed. I have no idea what you did with it in your sleep."_

"_Shit", she hissed trudging back into the bedroom holding her head, "That's just perfect", she complained. Then she looked up and gave a pained smile, "Dude, I almost threw up on you", she laughed. She grabbed for her head again, "Freaking snuggle bunny", she muttered as she climbed under the covers and made room for him. She made a face as something brushed her foot and reached under the covers. She grimaced, "Well, there's my bra", she said throwing it to the floor and shaking her head. She crawled over next o him and used his shoulder for a pillow, "My head feels fuzzy." He just laughed._

"_Oh my god_", Alyssa whined. "That's so fucking _embarrassing_. Vince you told me to hide under a lampshade?" she asked incredulously. "And I _listened_ to you?" Vince just shrugged, laughing. "My head hurt like a son-of-a-bitch", she muttered.

"You were sick for like two days", Dom laughed. "And you've _obviously_ never stuck to your promise about no more Tequila."

"It's not _funny_. And why do I always lose my clothes when I get drunk?" she muttered.

"We don't know – but we don't mind either", Rome laughed.

"When I get over being completely mortified, I'll hurt you", she groused at him. "And trust me, the rest of them mind."

"Nah", Letty refuted, "I got to see that awesome birthmark on your ass that one time."

Alyssa laughed, "Shut up."

"Wow", Anna said, "I'm impressed. This was more entertaining than I'd thought."

"Watch it, Sprite", Alyssa said. "I can take you."

"Nope", the blonde girl refuted, "I got street-smarts."

Alyssa shook her head, "I grew up fighting with _these_ guys for the bathroom."

"We'll see", Anna said unconvinced.

"On that note", Alyssa said, "We should all go out tomorrow night."

Dom groaned, "Fan-fucking-tastic", he grumbled.

00

**A/N:** I have the next chapter done, so if you review, I'll give you a preview before I post. Review please!


	13. Chapter 13

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 12**_

The girls came down the stairs that night dressed to kill. Letty in leather pants, because she figured this was the last time she would fit into them for a while, and a deep purple baby-doll halter top with leather heeled boots and crazy sex-hair (which may or may not have been authentic) and dark eye make-up. Mia in a dark blue tank and a jean skirt, hair pulled half up in a barrette, and strappy one-inch heels – she did better on flats when she was drunk.

Anna had left her hair alone to fall in blonde ringlets down her back, wearing tight-fitted v-neck emerald green halter-top that matched the color of her eyes, and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans – she had decided to be sensible, wearing tennis shoes. Alyssa was forced by Letty and Mia to go all out, not that she put up much of a fight, but she was aware that she was showing the most skin – heads were going to _roll_. She was wearing a red tank top – she had vetoed a halter top because _bad_ things happened if she got drunk while wearing a strapless bra – and at least she didn't care about her black straps being visible next to the red. Her black filmy bohemian-style, layered skirt was just above her knees and the bottom was jagged-looking, like it used to be a respectable skirt, but she had shortened it herself, and she topped it off with black three-inch peep-toe stilettos.

"I hope you realize I'm going to end up _killing_ myself in these", she had muttered sliding them on her feet. Her hair nearly matched Letty's. She had wanted to straighten it completely, only to get a resounding 'hell no' from Letty. Apparently she needed sex-hair to match her fuck-me heels.

They had come down the stairs to an embarrassing series of cat-calls, which would never be tolerated from any other guys, and they piled into the cars and took off. It was slightly after nine when they arrived at the bar, and as soon as they found an empty booth to fit all of them, the girls ran to the dance floor. When they came back a few songs later, there were shots waiting. They downed them – minus Letty, who had a non-alcoholic beverage – intent on keeping up with the guys. Alyssa left and came back moments later with a full bottle of Tequila that she had paid cash for, and started refilling shot glasses despite the collective groans from Brian, Rome, and Dom, who had all at one point or another, experienced her 'Tequila drunk'.

A while later, a new song kicked – one she _knew_, it was a party song. She grinned, _oh, she was gonna embarrass someone_. She squealed, purposefully getting everyone's attention, she smirked at Brian, wiggling her eyebrows playfully at him. "_Hell_ no!" he said immediately.

"Hell _yes_!" she shouted back. "Come on, Bri Bri", she teased. "I know you know this one too."

"What _is_ this?" Letty asked, looking towards the DJ booth incredulously.

"The East Coast _Shuffle_!" Alyssa called as she grabbed Brian's arm before he could hide behind someone – and honestly, his best bet would have been Jesse. "Come on, you pansy, we're gonna kick ass", she grinned evilly over her shoulder.

"Ugh, crap, fine", he muttered, giving up and following her.

"Lighten up, Blondie, have some fun", she said in his ear. He spun her, for her trouble, and they started doing the extremely inappropriate partners version of the _Cha Cha Slide. _At one point, when he was behind her, she tilted her head back and stuck her tongue out at him playfully and he laughed finally, and they finished the crazy dance in good spirits.

"Was that _supposed_ to be the Cha Cha Slide?" Mia asked incredulously, raising her eyebrows at them both when they came back. Brian shrugged sheepishly – he had been forced, so _he_ couldn't get in trouble.

Alyssa just laughed, "Yeah, sorta, but the East Coast's gotta dirty everything up for entertainment purposes. Don't worry about your boy, Mimi mamacita", she chuckled, "he kept his hands PG-13."

The next song came on, and it had Dom staring at Letty like he wanted to take her on the table – friends, sister, and strangers be damned – and Alyssa nearly blushed _for_ her. _Salsa._ Dom's chosen weapon of expertise besides insanely fast cars. She knew – she had danced with him. He had _taught_ her to salsa, just like he had taught her to drive; that voice that nearly put her under. "Let's dance baby", he muttered in Letty's ear and she went willingly. Dominic Toretto was the fucking Pied Piper – and he knew it.

Alyssa turned in her chair, her eyes following them to the floor and she watched them intently. He and Letty had always danced amazingly together; the push and pull of their actual relationship made their dancing that much more incredible, and the chemistry – and love – showed between them. He adored her; he couldn't help it – more than any of the rest of them could help the love they felt for him. And _damn_, could he move. His cat-like grace was so utterly striking in comparison to his height and muscle, and it always surprised her.

They came back after the song ended, breathless and laughing, and damn it all if the salsa wasn't like sex for them. Letty locked eyes on her, "You're next, you know", she smirked.

"Uh, 'scuse me?" Alyssa muttered confusedly.

"The next salsa", Dom clarified, eyeing her, "We're going."

Her heart rate went up. She wanted to pull a Brian and say, 'hell no', but she couldn't – besides, that hadn't gotten him out of it anyways. Instead she looked up at him incredulously, "I can't _salsa_", she finally said standing from her chair, exasperated with herself for letting him make her tongue-tied.

He laughed. "Yes, you can. I remember – I taught you. Damn good at it to", he grinned.

Oh, she remembered too. Not only was she nearly certain that she couldn't salsa now, but she couldn't dance with _him_. Him and her, and dancing, and _Tequila_ – god, they had almost ended up in bed together _for real_ – they had been _so_ drunk. It had only happened once, but it had been enough to scare the shit out of her. She had had to say no to him at seventeen, she didn't know if she could do it again and still come out intact – not that he would _ask_, but the idea of restraining herself from jumping him might be more than she could manage with alcohol flowing through her system. "Dom, I haven't salsa'd in years – I'm pretty sure I don't remember _how_", she argued.

"Silly _niñata_", he teased affectionately, ruffling her hair. "No one _forgets_ how to salsa; once you learn, it's in your blood.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "I am _not_ being a silly brat; Dom, I'm serious."

"Don't want to dance with me, _mija_?" he said gently, moving into her space enough to speak quietly and still be heard over the music. "You gonna dance with everyone else?"

_Ah, the guilt trip_, she thought. 'Everyone else', she knew, just meant Brian. He didn't give two shits if she just danced with the girls all night. _Jealousy rears its ugly head._ She couldn't _believe_ he was doing this to her right now. But her slightly alcohol-addled mind just kept repeating, _what could go wrong, what could go wrong_, over and over in her head. So when the song changed again, for the umpteenth time, and he was still staring at her intently, she nodded, "Alright", she agreed softly, "but remember when I step on your feet, that I warned you." He grinned a Cheshire cat smile at her, and _something_ in her mind was trying to tell her this was a bad idea – that something _awful_ was about to happen… if only she could remember what the hell she was supposed to be worried about. He held out a hand for her, and she took it.

He led her to a semi-unoccupied spot on the dance floor as the song began, and she followed good-naturedly – if not a little reluctantly. But if he wanted to do this, who was she to argue? His hands settled low on her hips immediately, guiding them back into the familiar, but nearly forgotten, rhythm. Alyssa closed her eyes after a few seconds, letting the music overtake her body, losing herself, as she matched his movements precisely.

The music lasted no more than four minutes, but to Alyssa, it felt something like a time warp. So when the music changed, and she came out of her reverie, she was startled to find that she was quite plastered against the front of his body – and his hands were less than an inch from touching her ass.

She untangled herself from him immediately, jumping back several feet, and looked up at him horrified. He was grinning at her. Alright, forget horrified… she was _mortified_. "Oh, my _god_", she hissed, briefly covering her face with her hands.

He grabbed her forearms and tugged them down gently, "Now, _what's_ the problem?" he asked smirking.

She wrenched away from him, "You know damn well what the problem is… _fuck!_" she snapped. "God, I feel like I just raped you", she muttered.

He threw his head back and laughed, "I probably would have like it", he grinned wickedly, reaching over to flatten her mussed hair.

She stood tolerantly for about five seconds before smacking him away. "Stop _touching me_." Alyssa looked up at him slightly, suddenly appreciating the height advantage of the three-inch heels – she was only about an inch and a half shorter than him now. "You fucker", she accused, jabbing his chest with her pointer finger, "You _knew_ that would happen!"

He gave her a wry look, which was as good as an admission. He shrugged, "It happens every time."

She shook her head at him, incredulous at his stupidity. "Fucking Tequila", she spat heading back to their table.

"I don't think that was the Tequila", he said pointedly, just loud enough to be heard over the music.

She whirled on him immediately, fury in her eyes, "As far as you're concerned, _yes_, it was", she said flatly. "Dammit, Dominic, don't start shit", she said tiredly, turning away from him to walk in her previously intended direction shaking her head. "You had no right to do that."

Alyssa would have liked nothing more than to go hide in the ladies room for the rest of the night, but she took a deep breath and sucked it up, knowing it would look suspicious to leave now. She was gonna get _drunk_. She bypassed the table as Dom sat down and headed to the bar to order another drink. "Colt 45 – double malt – keep 'em comin'", she said roughly to the bartender. She passed him her credit card, "Put it on my tab." He shook his head, having handed her the bottle of tequila earlier, knowing it was a bad mix, but did as she asked. It wasn't _his_ business if some random chick wanted to get shit-faced. Besides, she had seen the group she had come in with – they were regulars. He figured with the rough-looking guys to protect her, she would get home alright. He pushed a large glass in her direction and she took it and stalked off.

Vince intercepted her halfway to the table. He was momentarily startled by the paleness of her skin, but didn't comment. He eyed the glass in her hand and raised an eyebrow before taking in from her and taking a cautious gulp. He handed it back to her with a cough. "Are you fucking _crazy_?" he demanded clearing his throat. "You don't mix that shit with Tequila!"

"And you know better than to drink my booze", Alyssa snapped.

"Ah, _Christ_", he growled. "We're gonna have to peal your ass off the floor, aren't we?"

"I came to get drunk", she said plainly. "And as far as I'm concerned, feel free to leave me here 'til tomorrow."

He rolled his eyes, "'_Lyssa"_, he complained exasperatedly, "Dom-"

"Dom can take a flying leap, as far as I'm concerned", she interrupted seriously, taking a sip from the glass.

Vince groaned at the way she was repeating herself, but wound an arm around her back and led her back to the table with only one warning, "If you're gonna get trashed beyond comprehension, for God's sake, stay at the table. If I have to kill someone tonight because they think you're an easy lay, I _will_ wake you up in the morning to help me dump the body – hangover or not."

Alyssa shook her head and chuckled, "Alright, Chuck Norris." Vince grimaced and she smirked as she took a seat at the table as far from Dom as possible, proceeding to nurse her drink. She didn't feel guilty though – considering the way he was steadily ignoring her as well. _They were too old for this shit._ Brian shot her a questioning look from across the table where he sat between Mia and Leon, but Alyssa just gave an imperceptible shake of her head. She would yell at Dom later – tomorrow – after she was recovered from her impending hangover. Tonight, she was going to drink the incident away and stay away from him.

"You're not having any fun", Rome muttered in her ear as he slipped into the seat next to her a while later.

"Yes, I am", she said petulantly, now on her third concoction of Colt 45. The bartender had followed up, much to everyone else's chagrin, and she had yet to hit the bottom of a glass without a refill being placed next to her immediately.

He put an arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer, "What's the matter, baby girl? _Somethin's_ got your panties in a twist."

"I'm wearing a thong", she replied slowly, taking his statement literally. She glanced at the corner of the table where Anna was chatting quite comfortably with Mia and Letty, who was sipping discreetly on a club soda.

He snickered, "Thanks for the picture." He tugged on a lock of hair, "I think you're drunk", he said in amusement.

"Mm, probably", she agreed downing the rest of her drink, shot-style.

"You get into a fight with the big guy?" Rome questioned in her ear.

Alyssa shrugged, "Something like that."

He shook his head frowning at her, "Girl, you're a wreck."

She covered her mouth with the hand that wasn't occupied with the new glass just placed next to her as the empty one was taken away, and let out a low drunken laugh. "Jesus, Rome, you sure know how to cheer up a girl."

"Your boy is glaring at me", Rome said, slightly amused. Alyssa wasn't.

"He better not be", she growled. "He needs to mind his own fucking business. He's not _mine_ anyways."

Rome raised an eyebrow at her, "Is that the problem then?" he was struggling not to laugh.

"What?" she said bitingly.

He sighed, "I saw you dancing with him – and fighting after. You want him, don't you?" he asked pointedly.

"_No_", she snapped. "God, could you just be quiet?" she demanded.

"You _don't_ want him; you just want to fuck him", he said flatly.

She shook her head, "Not _literally_."

"You want to fuck him… _figuratively_?" he looked at her incredulously.

"Stop _talking_", she hissed at him. "And stop looking at me like I'm crazy while you're at it – you don't get it. I _don't_", she said exasperatedly, "not really. But he makes me crazy – and he knows it." She went to take another drink, but he stopped her, his large hand encircling her wrist. "_What_", she whined.

He chuckled and stood, tugging her up with him. "We're gonna go dance."

She tilted her head up at him slightly, looking positively scandalized, "Aw, fuck, _why_?"

"It's better than drinking", he said grinning down at her charmingly. She bit back a 'says _who_' and she let him pull her back to the dance floor, "Unless you're already too plastered", he teased. A strategically placed foot at the back of his knee nearly made him trip, and then she smiled up at him innocently, laughing when he moved her in front of him and walked behind her. He just rolled her eyes.

They went through two and a half songs before Alyssa begged off to go to the bathroom, but stopped immediately upon turning around and froze as she saw a familiar woman come in and take a seat, and the action sobered her immediately. She spun around back to Rome who looked at her curiously, "What's wrong?"

"I have to talk to Brian", she said, her voice strangled from shock. "As if anything else could go wrong tonight", she muttered. She allowed Rome to lead the way as she wasn't up to fighting her way through the crowd. Alyssa whirled around as she felt a stray hand make its way under the edges of her skirt, and she landed a solid punch to the guy's face, watched him fall, and kept walking.

Rome followed her incredulously, looking between her and back to the guy being helped off the floor. He whistled through his teeth, "_Damn_", he muttered. "It's been awhile since I've seen you pull that move."

"Fucking asshole", Alyssa said glaring over her shoulder briefly. Then they ran into Vince.

He had his arms crossed over his chest and was in battle-stance, "'Lyssy", he scolded, frowning at her, "Seriously?"

She winced in annoyance at the variation of her nickname, "Don't call me that", she complained rolling her eyes. "If that _cabron_ didn't want a bruised face, he shoulda kept his hand outta my skirt."

Vince glowered behind her, "Lemme see your hand", he said roughly.

She laughed lightly, "V, it's fine", she protested as he grabbed it gently to see for himself. Her knuckles were slightly red, but not cut, and she bit back a grimace at the burning sensation as he ran a fingertip lightly over the heated skin. She chuckled in amusement as he prodded her thumb cautiously.

"I didn't tuck it", she grinned. "And that guy's head wasn't nearly as hard as yours."

Vince grimaced, "Jesus, though, I thought I told you to stay outta trouble."

She shrugged childishly, "Trouble usually finds me; not the other way around." Then she groaned, "Speaking of trouble", she muttered pushing past him, "I have to talk to Brian." Alyssa headed towards the table purposefully. She locked eyes on Brian who was joking with Jesse, and she stared him down until he looked up at her.

Alyssa walked around the back of the table and squatted down between his and Mia's chairs. He turned and leaned closer to her, "What's up?" Brian asked seriously.

She straightened slightly, her lips close to his ear, intent on preventing eavesdropping of any kind, "Giselle is here", she murmured almost inaudibly.

He sat and blinked repeatedly for several seconds before he motioned her back and he stood, telling Mia he would be right back. He led her somewhere unseen behind their table – which was better for all-over spying. "What the _fuck_?" he demanded.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "Don't yell at _me_, I didn't know she was still in Mexico."

"Where?" he asked more calmly, looking around. She nudged his side and pointed discreetly to the left. "Aw, damn", Brian muttered, spotting the dark-haired, exotic beauty who had captured Dom's attention, _momentarily_, when they had all thought Letty was dead.

"So", Alyssa said conspiratorially, "We gonna drug him or just bash him over the head to get him out of here?"

Brian coughed out a laugh, "You don't think we should just leave it alone – or just _tell_ him?"

Alyssa gave him a level look the he could read loud and clear as if it was written across her face, "_Are you fucking stupid?"_ she asked plainly voicing her thoughts.

"I was a few years ago – and then I dumped her", Brian smirked.

She gave him a glare of frustration at his joke, "Moron", she grumbled.

"You wanna tell me what you and Dom are fighting about now?" he prodded.

"We're not fighting – he's just being a dick, and I'd like to shove my foot up his ass", Alyssa said flatly.

"Okay, then", Brian said shaking his head amused, "Never mind."

"Sorry", she said quietly. Then she laughed, "I'm gonna have such a bad hangover tomorrow."

"Come on", Brian laughed, "Let's go sit back down and hope Dom keeps his eyes where he's supposed to.

"That'll take some serious luck", Alyssa quipped. Brian laughed. "I'll be over in a few minutes; I was headed to the washroom before I spotted the trouble-maker", she said.

"I wasn't aware they had mirrors out here", he said dryly.

"Oh, hush", she laughed as she walked away, going to the back of the bar where the bathrooms were.

She emerged roughly ten minutes later, after having waited behind a swarm of drunken young women for her turn in a stall. She turned the corner of the hall only to run straight into a familiar, muscled chest. She sighed, giving up. This was _not_ her night. "I can _take a flying leap_?" he asked.

She closed her eyes and groaned in the back of her throat. She was going to _kill_ Vince. Alyssa looked up, searching his face to find a vague trace of amusement, but he looked mostly perplexed. "Dominic, don't play stupid with me. My bullshit tolerance level is currently below zero, and I don't have the energy to deal with this right now – even with you", she said flatly. "It would be wise for you to get out of my face right now. I'm not that girl, Dom, you know I'm not. So please, just don't."

"Aw, _fuck_", he murmured, clearly interpreting the look on her face. "I wasn't trying to mess with you, honey, I _wasn't_. I just- I forgot."

She gave him an incredulous look, "The hell you did!"

He sighed. "I just don't know what to do with you anymore. You've been away so long-" he held up a hand to stop her from interrupting. "I know that's my fault, alright? We can go round with that tomorrow if you still want to… let's just deal with tonight, okay?"

"I'm still mad at you", she acknowledged. "I promise I'm working on it – but dammit, you know how to piss me off. Dom, sometimes I really want to spit nails at you."

He rolled his eyes in amusement, "And you're a piece of cake."

She cocked her head, "What the hell were you thinking tonight, seriously? I could swear you haven't got an ounce of sense sometimes."

"You've changed", he said, suddenly serious.

"Good or bad?" she questioned quietly.

"I hate your hair", he said after a minute.

She let out a laugh. "Dominic, it's brown. What is so controversial about that?"

"Nothing", he admitted.

"Then what's wrong with it?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with your normal hair color?" he countered. "You've been dying your hair since you were sixteen. Why?"

She rolled her eyes exasperatedly, "Dom, I don't even know what the fuck color it could have been called."

"Cinnamon", he said finally. "That color… I miss _that color_. That was _you_."

She shot him a warning look. "Dom-" she sighed, "it's just hair", she said quietly.

"Yeah, well, I ain't got any, so I get to have an opinion about yours", he grumbled, for once listening to her unspoken plea.

She laughed, "Dom, I lived in New Jersey for six years and _I_ don't talk like that."

He scowled playfully at her, "No, but you probably speak better Spanish than anyone here – and yet you still stick random '_y'alls'_ ' in the middle of your sentences, don't you? And you're not even Southern."

She pouted and leaned her head back against the wall, "Shut up. I haven't said that since I've been here."

He followed he movement, and they were only inches apart, his arms boxing her in place as Bob Marley's song '_Girl I Want to Make You Sweat_' blared through the speakers. "Have I told you that you look positively _sinful_ in those heels?" he murmured in her ear.

She rolled her eyes. They were just drunk enough that this was dangerous. "And what compliment did you give your lovely Letty?" she asked pointedly.

"I told her that she looked delicious, and that I was going to fuck her senseless when we got back home", he said, giving her an annoyed look. When he continued, she understood why. "She told me to fuck off, 'cause she thinks she looks like a whale. There's barely anything there", he complained in exasperation.

Alyssa laughed at him for his trouble. "Pregnancy hormones are about to kick in", she warned. "And morning sickness soon. Be good to her Dom, she deserves it", she said seriously. "And she was screwing with you, she knows she's hot shit tonight", Alyssa smiled.

"Don't leave", he said after a minute of silence. "I know you think you have to, but-"

"I _do_ have to. Geez, Dominic, I have a life in California. I finally find a way to live my life without you in it, and you want me to come back just like that. Dominic, that's not a fair request at all", she rambled.

"We need you here", he said softly.

She leaned forward enough to press her face against his shoulder, careful not to smear her make-up. "Staying here might kill me, Dom, you know that", she responded quietly. "What the hell would I even _do_ here?"

A hand went into her hair, "We could figure something out", he rumbled in her ear. His hand stilled and she pulled back slightly to her original position. "We can fight about it tomorrow, alright?"

She sighed, nodding slightly. "Okay", she agreed reluctantly. He moved into her space once more, and she kept her steady gaze on his eyes as his hand went to rest under her chin. "Dom-" she warned. Her voice was rough because of the tightness of her throat. The ache in her throat was familiar: the need to scream at the peak of an orgasm. She wasn't having one; he wasn't touching her _that way_. And she still felt the need rise up in her throat, unbidden. Come to think of it, this was also the reaction she got to going down the hill of a rollercoaster. Either way, the bottom was about to drop. Her whole body shook.

"Hold still", he murmured.

_Jesus, now what,_ Alyssa wondered. He dropped a chaste, gentle kiss on the side of her mouth, and she barely restrained herself from jumping out of her skin. She wanted to smack him: _Wasn't messing with her, her ass._ She stopped from making a scene, realizing that they _were_ actually still in the bar, and complacently walked back to the table with his arm around her shoulders. Later, in private, they were going to have _words_ – you know, if she _remembered_ anything that happened tonight in the morning.

00

**A/N: **I originally wrote one long chapter, but I looked it over, and decided two would be better – so chapter thirteen is already done, and will be posted shortly. Review! (The East Coast Shuffle, I do believe, is not real – if it is, oops.)


	14. Chapter 14

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 13**_

Alyssa proceeded to get rip-roaring drunk, and when they finally left sometime around three in the morning, they _did_, in fact have to carry her to the car. She had fallen asleep at the table – and the next day, she would believe that it had, in fact, been cute – and Vince had hauled her over his shoulder to carry her through the parking lot and quietly insisted that she was riding in Dom's car, since it was obviously his fault.

"Fine", Dom had laughed, "but she hates riding in the back of my car. I'll blame you when she asks me later."

"I hope she pukes on your head", Vince chuckled as he set her down and she was awake enough to let Dom put her in the 'backseat'.

She crawled in, too tired to argue, "No zoom zoom", she muttered before falling back asleep against the window.

00

Alyssa woke up in her bed, having no recollection of how she got there, and glanced at the clock, _5:45 a.m._ She sat up and her hands went immediately to her head and she groaned, "_Fuck_". And then she had to run to the bathroom to throw up twice her weight in alcohol from only several hours ago.

As she prayed to the porcelain goddess, Alyssa had random flashbacks – and none of them were good. The last vague memory – and probably most recent – was a hazy exchange between Dom and Letty while Dom had carried her upstairs. Neither had sounded particularly happy, and her sleep-addled, drunken-paranoid brain needled her that she had been the topic of discussion. That sat about as well with her as the acid in her churning stomach.

Things had gotten out of hand last night, and that would be remedied at some point today when her mind was at a fully functional capacity, but for now… _tub_. She saw it out of the corner of her eye – the large hot tub in the opposite corner of the bathroom. She had yet to try it – mostly because up until recently she had limited her bathroom usage in order to stay away from Dominic. And the fact that she was nearly positive that Dom and Letty had probably… _eww_, she didn't want to finish that thought.

She pulled her still drunk ass off the floor, flushing the toilet and taking a closer look at the large tub. She cocked her head in a brief inspection, and deciding that it didn't look _completely_ defiled, dropped the stopper and turned on the waterfall faucet. Alyssa made sure the door was latched, but didn't lock it, in case Dom or Letty felt the need to hurl sometime before she got out – but she was fairly certain that Dom hadn't gotten very drunk seeing as he had driven them home, and she didn't think Letty's morning sickness had started yet. And to be fair, she didn't think that _anyone_ had gotten nearly as drunk as she had last night.

Alyssa waited for the tub to fill before peeling off her sweaty clothes from the night before, put her hair in a pony tail, and stepped over the wall of the giant tub and slid into the hot water with a sigh. She settled the back of her head against a side neck cushion and closed her eyes. Within five minutes she was asleep.

00

She wasn't sure how long she had slept for, but she was awakened by a mild scream and had nearly drowned for her trouble. "Jesus, Letty", she croaked.

"Alyssa, for Christ's sake, you gave me a fucking heart attack", Letty hissed coming to stand near the tub.

Alyssa shivered, "Fuck; it's _cold_", she whined.

"What the hell are you yelling about?" Dom muttered under his breath as he wandered into the bathroom.

Letty just pointed, still obviously annoyed, and Alyssa tried in vain to sink out of sight. "Dominic, get out, so I can get up", Alyssa demanded. This was just _fucking_ great. She was naked in their tub, and they were both in the bathroom.

Dom just smirked at her from his position leaning against the doorjamb and raised an eyebrow, "Whatcha doin' in there?" he asked teasingly.

She glared up at him, "Bungee jumping", she snarked their usual response to completely obvious questions. "I fell asleep. The water is freezing, so quit being a moron and get the fuck _out_", she snapped.

He grinned and shook his head at her like she was being ridiculous. He looked around the bathroom quickly and spotted her towel. He grabbed it and walked to the tub. She curled herself into the wall hoping to hide as much as possible. "Stand up, _cariña_", he chuckled.

"I have a hangover – actually I might still be drunk", she groused. "Go away, I'm not six. I can climb out by myself. This isn't a free show", she snapped. "And you're not going to charm me outta the tub with your random Spanish."

"Shut the fuck up and stand", he said evenly.

"Why don't you go outside and play hide-and-go-fuck yourself?" Alyssa said in the same tone raising a pointed eyebrow. Letty snickered, leaning comfortably against the sink counter – she had always been morbidly intrigued with watching their interactions.

He glared, and reached into the water and hoisted her up, hissing at the cold, and wrapped the towel around her as he lifted her out of the tub by the waist and swung her to stand on the floor. "Jesus, _fuck_, that's freezing", he growled.

"No shit, Sherlock", Alyssa said rolling her eyes. She tightened the towel and made to walk back to her room, but was stopped. "_What?_"

"Just where the hell do you think you're going?" he asked, holding her upper arm as he let the tub drain.

"To get dressed, you freaking retard", she said slowly – she was totally wondering if he really _was_ still drunk. "What _exactly_ did you expect me to do?"

"You'll never get warm if you go get dressed now", he said flatly. "I'm gonna refill the tub with hot water and you're gonna get your ass back in and shut up." She rolled her eyes and headed out the door. "Do you want me to _throw_ you in?" he called seriously.

Alyssa whirled around with a huff. "I'm going to get a swimsuit", she said slowly. "I know that look, you want to play babysitter, fine; but I'm not going to be naked while you do it." She went to her room, shutting her door, shivering as she dug through her suitcase for her red bikini and pulled it on somewhat reluctantly and headed back to the bathroom.

"Damn", Dom muttered when she walked back in.

"What?" she asked flatly.

"You look worse than that time you went swimming in the ocean in March", he said.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't hung-over then", she grumbled.

He shook his head, "No, I mean your lips are purple. Get in the water."

Alyssa rolled her eyes and _tsked_, "Such a worry-wart. Enjoying the show, Let?" she asked sarcastically over her shoulder as she stepped carefully back into the tub and hissed at the drastic change in temperature.

"Immensely", Letty dead-panned. Then she chuckled, "Hold on, I want in there too", she said walking out.

"Letty", Alyssa called. She waited until her head popped back around the door frame to continue, "You're pregnant – you aren't supposed to be in the hot tub."

Letty glared at her pointedly but Alyssa stared back until she actually responded, "I _know_", she snarled. "I cleaned it the day before yesterday though, and no one has been in it since."

"Fine", Alyssa sighed. "You rinsed it properly, right?"

Letty nodded, "Of course."

Alyssa shook her head, giving up, "Alright, but wait a few minutes for the water to cool off a bit. It's too hot for Peanut right now." Letty rolled her eyes and went to her own room to change.

"When'd you become the 'baby expert'?" Dom rumbled as he sat on the side of the tub.

She shook her head, "I'm not." She was completely unwilling to tell him about her pregnancy scare three years ago. After two positives and two negatives, she had gone to the doctor who had let her in at the last minute on a Friday evening. In the two days she had to wait, she had squished more baby information into her brain than she thought was humanly possible. When she had received the truly negative result, she had called Letty and cried. Letty had flown up and stayed with her the next weekend.

"Sure", he said skeptically. However, instead of pressing her further, he stepped onto the outer wall, walking along the narrow ridge between the wall and the actual tub and settled down behind her, legs on either side of her shoulders and feet in the water.

"And just _what_ are you doing?" she asked under her breath.

Before he could answer, Letty walked back in wearing an olive green bikini of her own. She looked over at them raising an eyebrow, but just rolled her eyes as she climbed in and settled across from them with a sigh of contentment.

Alyssa decided this was better, in any case, as Dom could stare at Letty in this position. "You aren't even showing yet. Geez, Letty, you're thinner than I am", Alyssa said incredulously.

"Not for long", Letty said with a laugh. "Unless you get knocked up too", she teased.

Alyssa scowled and kicked her under the water, "Not happening", she growled. "Besides, that would require having a man – which is also not happening."

"You need to get laid", Letty said seriously.

"Trust me, Let, I am _painfully_ aware of that", Alyssa muttered. "Besides, it's not so much that I need to get laid – more like laid _properly_. If I have to give one more grown man a _tutorial_ of the female body-"

"_Jesus_", Dom growled from behind her, "I'm still _here_."

Alyssa smirked at Letty, "Don't even try to tell me your _virgin ears_ can't handle it", she retorted.

His hand was on the top of her head and he gently dunked her the rest of the way under water before she could fight back. She sat back up a second later coughing and sputtering indignantly. She turned around and smacked his thigh with a wet hand, "Asshole", she coughed.

"I don't wanna hear about your sex life", he said as she settled back in place.

She knew what he meant, but _seriously_… "You have no room to talk, Dom", Alyssa said rolling her eyes. "How many times did I used to catch you and Letty going at it _on the couch_ when you guys first got together?" she asked pointedly.

Letty laughed, "Oh, fuck."

"Yeah, I believe that's _exactly_ what you were doing", Alyssa teased. Letty laughed harder.

"Fine", he grumbled. "But keep in mind that I _saw_ you only a few hours after your first time – and you were a disaster, so you'll forgive me if I don't want-"

"Shut _up_", Alyssa snapped, "_Christ_, Dominic."

Letty nudged her with her foot, and Alyssa looked over reluctantly, "You told me it wasn't that bad", Letty said softly.

Dom snorted, "She threw up and cried", he said tightly.

Alyssa spared a quick glare over her shoulder at Dom and sighed, "It wasn't completely awful – but I didn't talk to you about it until the next weekend, and it took me about that long to get over the self-loathing", she said honestly. "I told you the whole story, but I had gotten to process it by then. I just never told you that I kept seeing that guy – sort of – after that. He was an asshole though – I didn't even like him."

"Well, then why the hell-" Letty started, looking at her curiously. Dom stopped her inquiry with one of his own.

"What the hell is wrong with your tits?" he asked suddenly, peering over her shoulder slightly.

Alyssa looked down quickly, and upon deciding nothing was out of the ordinary, she turned her head to give him a incredulous look, "Uh, excuse the hell outta me, but what the fuck kind of question is that? And why the _hell_ are you staring at my tits?" she demanded. Alyssa glanced over at Letty and shot her a look like, _what the hell is wrong with him?_ Letty just shrugged skeptically and Alyssa went back to glaring at Dom – who she was now positive was the most annoying, _stupid_ person on the planet.

"They look like they've shrunk", he said, eyebrows furrowed. His hand movements were literal, and she felt her neck flush because…

"Stop staring at my tits", she growled, smacking his hands down. "I have a completely competent women's doctor that thinks my tits are just fine", she said flatly, staring straight at Letty, who was currently _also_ staring at her chest. "God, Letty, _seriously_?" she whined.

Letty snapped her head up, completely unphased, "They do look smaller", she said with a shrug.

Alyssa groaned. Then she tilted her head back slightly, resting it on Dominic's thigh, "If your hands come at me because you want your own _hands-on_ opinion, I will yank you in the water with us and quite happily drown you", she said seriously. He laughed, but flicked her forehead and she sat up, ignoring them. When she looked back across the tub, Letty was staring at her critically, "_Gahh_, what now?" Alyssa demanded.

Letty shook her head after a moment, "Nothing", she murmured.

Alyssa looked at her skeptically, but didn't challenge her answer out of self-preservation. "Do we have _any_ topics off-limits?" she asked exasperatedly.

Letty leveled her with a look, "Would you rather we all just toe around each other? Because _that_ would be fucking exhausting", she growled.

"No", Alyssa admitted, knowing it was true. But at the same time, there _were_ things they didn't all share with everyone – and they all knew it. "Just saying, though, there are these new-fangled things called _boundaries_", she said with a smirk.

Dom laughed from behind her, tugging at her pony tail, "Boundaries? We don't need no fucking boundaries", he said, taking on a _very_ awful Mexican accent – and completely mangling the actual movie quote.

Alyssa nearly died on the spot, "_Shut up_", she laughed. "Or I'll buy you a giant black and gold sombrero for your birthday."

Letty giggled, "And you, Vince, and Brian can dress up as the Three Amigos for Halloween."

"Letty, hush", Dom said, trying to be serious, "Unless you want to ride a camel."

"Alyssa can be a belly-dancer", Letty suggested good-naturedly.

"_Letty_", she hissed, "Oh, my god."

"What?" she laughed, "I know you took lessons."

"_It was one class_", she muttered into her hands, "I can't believe you."

"You took a belly dancing class", Dom snickered.

Alyssa shook her head, finally finding it in her to be amused, "It was _hard_", she complained. "And fuck those outfits – _seriously_", she grumbled. Dom and Letty were full-on laughing their asses off. "Why are you guys my best friends?" Alyssa whined.

"Because we're the best", Letty said grinning.

"I'm hung-over and not convinced", Alyssa said primly.

Letty kicked a splash of water in her face, "What would you do without us?" Letty teased.

Alyssa glanced briefly up at Dom behind her before answering Letty, "I have no idea", she said quietly.

Before anyone else could comment, Vince's voice boomed up the stairs, "Someone needs their daddy and two mommies!"

"_Not it"_, Letty and Alyssa shouted immediately.

"'Not it', what?" Dom asked as the bathroom door opened and Vince looked at the scene with amusement.

"You get to explain to the puppies when they get older why they have two mommies", Letty said, cracking up.

Alyssa covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh. Not only at the complete way she and Letty still read each other's minds, but at the way that Vince was staring at the three of them like they were crazy – and holding a puppy in each arm. He tried to cover their eyes playfully, muttering, "_This_ is why you guys have three parents. Daddy couldn't keep his hands to himself."

"Jesus, Vince", Dom laughed outright, "Give me them."

"Wait", Alyssa said, "Have they been outside yet this morning? Unless you don't care if they pee on your shirt, Dom", she shrugged. "And I'm _not_ going to be the Marilyn Monroe", she said seriously.

"Jesse had them outside and played with them for awhile", Vince answered handing them over. He crouched down next to her side of the tub, "How's your head?" he asked smirking.

She glared weakly, her headache coming back full-force, "Hangover elves are pounding away."

"You take anything? Or do you want some Advil or something?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Hangover pill", she muttered. "Can you grab the bottle from the dresser?"

He nodded, standing up, "Just a sec".

He walked out and she felt Letty slide a foot underneath her and attempted to pinch her in the ass through her bathing suit bottoms with her toes, "Why the hell didn't you say something?" Letty scowled.

"_Letty_", Alyssa hissed, jumping out of her skin, "God, I didn't realize when you said 'toe around each other' you meant shoving your toe up my _ass_. Warn a girl before you try that, huh?" she said incredulously.

Letty tossed her head back laughing, "_Sorry!_" she cackled. Dom was shaking with barely controlled laughter behind her.

Alyssa folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes, "A little slower on the out next time and I'll forgive you."

Dom lost it, setting the puppies down to run around the edge while he nearly curled over top of her laughing. Letty was in tears, howling with laughter, and Alyssa just shook her head like this was normal – and sadly, for them, it _was_. Vince came back into the bathroom with the right bottle and looked between the three of them incredulously, "What could have possibly happened in the two minutes I was gone?" he asked gruffly.

"Letty just tried to toe-fuck my ass", Alyssa said dryly just as Brian and Mia walked in behind Vince still in their pajamas. Alyssa tossed back a pill dry and heard Dom mutter, '_eww_' even as he laughed – he hated swallowing pills _at all_, and she handed back the bottle and Vince put it on the counter.

"Things I just don't need to hear", Brian grimaced shaking his head.

Mia laughed, "What the hell are you morons doing? You guys are like the Three Stooges, I swear."

"Playing in the wa'cuzzi", Alyssa said childishly.

"The _what_?" Dom chuckled.

Letty and Mia laughed though, "I had forgotten about that", Mia giggled.

"We were _so_ drunk", Letty laughed.

"My eighteenth birthday", Alyssa said, tilting her head back to look at Dom. "We rented a huge hotel suite and spent the weekend. The bathroom had a Jacuzzi, but we were all so trashed by the time we wanted to use it, none of us could _say_ the damn word", she giggled. "Vince was totally passed out on one of the beds since it was like four in the morning, and we nearly overflowed the water – but we didn't. We _did_ get bubbles _everywhere_ though. It was really funny when V woke up the next morning and started yelling at us about cleaning up the mess."

"That bathroom was a disaster", Vince said rolling his eyes.

"It wasn't funny", Mia groaned, "My head hurt _so_ bad."

"I remember", Alyssa grimaced, "You threw up on me. That's why you're not _allowed_ to drink champagne ever again."

Letty laughed, "_That_ was fucking hilarious."

"About as funny as you puking on Dom at my _twentieth_ birthday party?" Alyssa asked pointedly.

"You took the trashcan!" Letty complained.

"Have you all thrown up on each other?" Brian asked with a laugh.

"I haven't", Alyssa shot her hand up. Then she scowled, "I was just puked on twice."

"I never threw up on anybody", Dom laughed. "But I'm pretty sure you threw up on me once, 'Lyss."

"No", she argued, spinning around in the water to face him. "You've _seen_ me puke _way_ too many times, but I never threw up _on_ you – just next to you. The time I had the stomach flu, all my drunken adventures, that other time, and when I got food poisoning."

"Oh, yeah, the date from hell", Dom laughed. "You thought you were gonna die."

"It felt like it! That was _awful_", she grumbled. "I couldn't even stand the _smell_ of Chinese food for years."

"Okay, I take back my previous statement", Dom chuckled. "I never puked on anyone, but I did get puked on by Letty."

"That's not because of your iron stomach either, bud", Alyssa teased. "We just always got to the bathroom first. You got just as fucking trashed as I did on my twenty-first – probably _worse_", she grimaced.

"Shots contest", Mia said to Brian. "Dom bet her fifty bucks that he could drink her under the table. He hadn't realized that she had had nearly two years while he was in prison to build up her tolerance to liquor – well, Vodka at least", she laughed. "They switched to Tequila half-way through."

Brian coughed, hiding a grin, "Who won?"

Alyssa and Dom looked at each other in annoyance. "We don't know", Alyssa said finally, glaring. "_Someone_ forgot to _count_."

"Yeah, _you_", Dom said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, it was definitely supposed to be _you_", she scowled.

"And they still fight about it", Letty laughed.

"We had a massive hangover for nothing", Alyssa griped. "I was sure my head was going to explode. I was drunk as fuck before we even _started_ that contest. I drank until I passed out, and from what I heard, Dom drunk himself stupid and was trying to do karaoke." Letty raised her eyebrows, slightly amused, but chose not to point out their need for making everything for making everything _collective_. They both got trashed, but the next morning they had _a_ massive hangover.

"I find it interesting that we had the worst hangovers at all of _your_ parties", Dom said to Alyssa.

"There was probably _some_ correlation", she admitted reluctantly.

"You should have heard them fighting for the bathroom the next morning", Mia snickered. "Tequila makes them… weird." Alyssa coughed, fully aware that Mia had _no idea_ what she was like when she was drunk from tequila – and she hoped Dom wouldn't spill the beans. "They were swearing at each other for like five minutes until they both finally ran in and started puking. I laughed for like twenty minutes when she called him 'a cock-sucking fucktard'", Mia doubled over laughing. "They locked themselves in the bathroom for like four hours."

"And we were curled up on the floor taking turns throwing up the entire time – god, it was terrible", Alyssa muttered.

"Fucking shots", Dom said with a grimace, "I thought we were gonna puke up a lung." – And _again_, collectively – the same lung? Letty thought not.

"On that happy note", Vince interrupted, "Who's making breakfast."

"Don't _even_ look at me", Alyssa said seriously. "I don't care if you all starve today. I don't even want to _smell_ food, let alone cook it. Go pour some cereal in a bowl if you're so hungry", she glared at Vince.

He laughed, "Yeah, yeah, alright. You should get outta there, you're starting to shrivel."

"Yeah, Vince, don't you think her tits look smaller?" Dom asked innocently.

Alyssa's jaw dropped; _he did not just say that_. "_Dominic Toretto, I am gonna kick your ass six ways to Sunday!"_ she shrilled, standing up unexpectedly… and she tugged him into the water with a splash.

00

**A/N:**__I know, I know, some of you guys are having fits about what's going on, but wait for the next chapter. Things will finally settle down then – a little. Trust the story. Review!


	15. Chapter 15

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 14**_

Later that afternoon, Alyssa was lying in the middle of the backyard on a towel, trying to soak up as much sun as possible, this time in a black bikini listening to her iPod with headphones when a shadow blocked her sun. She was laying face-down, and even though she felt the distinct absence of heat alerting her to someone's presence, she still nearly had a heart attack at the feel of a cold beer bottle pressed against her bare back. She shrieked, peered over her shoulder and groaned, "Go away, Dom; you're a pain in the ass." But she got up on her knees carefully – seeing as his feet were on either side of her legs – and took the Corona, albeit reluctantly.

She sniffed at it cautiously, making sure it wouldn't make her nauseous, before taking a drink. "Truce?" she heard him question, muffled through the music.

Alyssa rolled her eyes but nodded as she stood up to shake out her towel and reposition it. "Figures you would call truce by trying to annoy me", she muttered sitting back down, her back to the house and the sun. She motioned for him to sit, wondering if he even realized that he was barefoot on the hot sand that made up most of their yard. He plopped down next to her on the towel, taking a drink from his own bottle.

He tugged an ear bud from her and held it to his ear and immediately grimaced. She laughed. "What the hell are you listening to?" he asked incredulously, handing it back to her.

"Trace Adkins", she grinned, pulling out the other ear bud and turning off her iPod. She hid it from the sun, folding the corner of the towel over it.

"Metallica, Carly Simon, and _country_?" he asked skeptically. "You're so weird – I'm starting to think you listen to that stuff just to annoy me."

"Well, aren't _you_ conceited?" she teased. "I have diverse taste in music – that's not a crime."

"You have _awful_ taste in music", he grumbled.

She shook her head, knowing that this was an argument neither of them would win, and leaned back on her hands, stretching her legs out, bent slightly at the knees, and turned her head slightly to study him under her sunglasses. She hadn't seen him since she really _had_ tried to drown him in tub this morning. She buried a grin. It hadn't worked so well once he had gotten his bearings, and no one had helped her when he tackled her in retaliation because they were all laughing so hard, but she was satisfied with drenching him in his clothes.

His white t-shirt – which he had at least _ten_ of, because he still insisted they were his favorite – and khaki cargo shorts were a stark contrast to his tanned skin, and with her wearing a black bikini, she was more aware than ever that they were polar opposites in all the ways that didn't matter. And pot and kettle, as they always had been personality-wise, if she had to be any more responsible for him than the ways she already felt she was, she really would go crazy. They were both too head-strong, stubborn in all the wrong ways, argumentative, and between the two of them, there had never been any other option but truth – _or_ avoidance. He could see through her just as well as she could with him, even from the first day they had met. There was no room for bullshit. She was glad he had found the same in Letty, because he needed that – someone to tell him when he was being a dumbass and not put up with his shit.

Their friendship was rare, and comfortable – and maybe they did love each other too much sometimes. But at the same time, in the ways that his relationship with Letty was push and pull, his and hers was mostly push and _push_. That was alright for friendship, and all the other things they had been for each other over the years, but in no way was it the makings for a good romantic relationship – and they both knew it – hell, they had _done_ it. If she could just find a carbon copy of him somewhere, she'd be content – or she might just feel cheated.

With that thought on the forefront of her mind, she took another drink and let out a sigh, staring straight ahead. "You are just as aware as I am that you've completely _ruined_ me for any other man", she said quietly, "Even if you _are_ an annoying bastard", she shot him a grin, taking the bite out of the statement, and caught his concession in a half-smile before she turned away again, suddenly serious. "And I guess it's okay that you know that… but that being said, you absolutely do _not_ get to throw it in my face the way you did last night, _ever_ again."

He sighed, "I know – I didn't forget. I'm sorry."

"You're such an attention whore", she muttered.

He chuckled, "You're the only one I could get away with flirting with, you know. Not that I want to, but Letty would chop my balls off and make them a necklace if I ever danced with anyone else like that."

Alyssa snorted, "Yeah, and I would help her. She and Mia are the closest things to sisters that I have – god help anyone who fucks with them."

"Including me and Brian?" Dom asked, looking over at her.

Her posture was stiff, "Yes", she said seriously. "_Especially you guys,_ because you know better. You guys are _all_ my family, but if you were in the wrong, you'd be in deep shit. For the record, I know you would never cheat on her, so I don't worry about that. You love her just as much now as you did back then, don't you?" she asked, smiling slightly.

"More", he said quietly. "Every day she manages to surprise me – and I love her more for it."

Her smile widened, "Good", she said softly, "You both deserve that."

"You really would make my life miserable, wouldn't you?" he said seriously.

"Bet your ass I would", she muttered.

He was amused again, "You never were afraid of me, were you?"

She laughed, momentarily reliving their first encounter, "Ironically, no. Unfortunately for you", she said wryly.

"Was that because you just trusted me that much, or did you just not have any sense of self-preservation?" he wondered.

"Probably a little bit of both", she said, thinking it over. "You made me feel safe – _really_ safe – for the first time in a long time. Do you remember me asking you about how acted towards me the first time we met?"

"You were, what, about sixteen?" he said thinking back.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"You asked me why I had been so hell-bent on doing nice things for you when you were fully capable of doing them yourself. Pretty annoyed about it too", Dom laughed.

"I _was_", she laughed. "It seemed so foreign to me. Remember what you told me?"

He nodded, "I told you that I thought you could stand for letting someone look out for you for a change. And you rolled your eyes at me."

Alyssa laughed, "I was such a brat."

Dom shook his head, "No. You had lived your life being full of false bravado; because that's the only way you could get through all the crap you had thrown at you. It took you a long time before you let us all in. And even when you did, that part of you never completely went away – you were always waiting to get hurt, to be disappointed. You still do", he said gently. "It's like it _physically_ hurts you to trust people."

She sighed, "You always did know me better than I knew myself", she said quietly. They sat for several minutes in a comfortable silence before she spoke up again. "I'm not in love with you", she said seriously.

Dom chuckled, mostly at the unexpectedness of the comment, "I know. I'm not in love with you either."

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "I don't think you _do_ know", she said, her tone serious, "Especially since I seem to like sexually assaulting you when I'm drunk. I love you and shit, but-"

He laughed outright, "Well, isn't that sweet."

She blanched, "Oh, shut up", she said finally laughing, "You're such an asshole. It's just that you know everything in my past, things I don't think I could ever stomach telling anyone else. I'm more honest with you than I've ever been with _anyone_ else in my entire life; and you're right – I don't trust anyone else like that."

"I know you don't", he said quietly. "And I know that there are things you haven't told even me."

She was thoughtful, but her mouth twitched after a minute. If they were heading down memory lane… "Remember the first time you kissed me?"

He grinned wryly at her, "And you laughed."

She nodded, laughing, "And I laughed", she agreed. "To be fair, it was _weird_."

"Your first kiss, too, if I remember correctly", he said raising an eyebrow in question.

She groaned, "_Yeah, geez_."

"Traumatized?" he chuckled.

"Slightly", she teased. "Not really, no."

He snickered, reaching over to tug on her pony tail. She grabbed it back immediately. "Still hung-over?" he muttered.

"Just my head", she said rolling her eyes. His hand traveled under her thick hair, settling at the nape of her neck and her head dropped forward of its own accord, wincing as fingers applied pressure to tightened muscles.

They were silent for a while, and Alyssa was nearly asleep, for the comfort afforded her by his relaxing touch, by the time he seemed to come to a conclusion. Whether it was that she wasn't going to try to bite him, or that things were settled between them and this position was slightly awkward, she didn't know, but he stopped and tugged on her arm gently. "Come 'ere", he said quietly.

She looked up at him blearily, but climbed over him to sit between his outstretched legs. She pulled her knees to her chest and wound her hand together under her thighs, curling over herself to lay her right cheek against her legs near her knees. Relief from her pounding headache was imminent. "Were you and Letty fighting when we got home last night?" she asked after a while. "I was too drunk to eavesdrop properly", she grumbled.

His hands slowed slightly, but he chuckled at her admission. "We were having a difference of opinion", he said finally.

Alyssa snorted, "Uh-huh, you know I know what that means, so now you have to tell me", she scolded.

"She seems to think you and I have sexual tension issues", he said finally.

She shimmied out of his reach, "We've _all_ established that I need to get laid – and _you_, you are a flirt – at least with _me_… and that should really, probably stop", Alyssa said completely nonplussed. "Besides, that's just _wrong_, on _so_ many levels, and-"

Dominic started laughing his ass off and fell back on the ground, "Well, _yeah_", he laughed, "But she seems to think it's _funny_."

Alyssa turned to face him completely, climbing on her knees to see his face, "You have _got_ to be kidding. That bitch has one _twisted_ sense of humor." He cocked his head at her and sat up on his elbows to look at her. "What?" she asked, realizing he wasn't looking at her face. "Dom, if you're staring at my tits _again-_"

He tugged the waistband of her bottoms to the side slightly and she snickered, finally realizing what he was looking at. "A seahorse?" he asked incredulously.

She poked at its mouth, "A perpetually _happy_ seahorse", she laughed.

"You've got a smiling seahorse tattooed on your hipbone; that's really fucking _creepy_, 'Lyss", he said making a face. "When the hell'd you get that one?"

"A couple years ago", she said shaking her head. "Do you complain about Letty's tattoo as well, or am I just that special?" she asked sarcastically. Letty had gotten a red lotus flower in the middle of her lower back. She wasn't sure if he ever actually found out about Mia's gecko that was in about the same spot as Alyssa's seahorse.

He grumbled incoherently. "I don't know why you guys felt the need to all get inked up anyways."

"Girls prerogative", she murmured, "Female solidarity and all that."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Right."

She laughed, shaking her head, "Don't believe me?" she mused.

"Not a bit", he said good-naturedly. They were silent for some time before he spoke again, suddenly serious. "If I hadn't made you, would you have eventually left anyways?" he asked quietly.

Alyssa gnawed at her bottom lip pensively. "I don't know", she muttered lowly, not looking over at him. "I might have thought about it, but I don't think I would have had the guts to actually do it. And even if I had, it would have been nothing like these past years have been."

"Why? If you had really-"

She interrupted him with a sigh, "_Because_. You're like a giant, muscular security blanket."

He laughed, playfully knocking her over and rolled on top of her. "Feeling _safe_ all the sudden?" he teased. She was laughing too hard to fight him off.

She shrieked indignantly, "Get off'a me! God, you're _heavy_", she groaned, her body still shaking with amusement under his. "I'm not nineteen anymore, and you're _not_ a lap dog", she grumbled, smacking his shoulder. He didn't budge, just laughing against her shoulder. "C'mon", she whined, "I'm gonna be _old_ soon – my bones are _brittle_." She ruined her plea by laughing, but he nudged himself upwards and propped himself over her.

He was grinning smugly down at her and she glowered. "You're gonna be _thirty_", he sing-songed. "Ya sure don't act like it."

"Fuck off", she muttered blandly, "Neither do you. I have two and a half more years before that personal disaster happens – I'm gonna find some way to get out of it. _You_, however, are going to be thirty in about eight months. Good luck with that, Champ."

He laughed, "You turn twenty-eight before then. And I'm not the one complaining about being _brittle_", he pointed out.

She growled at him. She wriggled slightly and grimaced. "Alright", she muttered disgustedly, "Let me up – I need a shower. I think I've got sand in my ass."

He tilted his head back, laughing riotously – loud enough that everyone and their mother was alerted to their presence. She shuffled, still underneath him and knocked him in the side with her knee and pushed him back to his original spot and sat up.

She slowly dragged herself to her feet grabbing everything but the towel he was still sitting on, "Bring it back with you?" she questioned catching Letty in her peripheral vision lounging in the rocker on the porch. "Letty's on the porch", she murmured, "I'm gonna go talk to her."

He nodded and she squatted down behind him, hands on his shoulders for balance and dropped a quick kiss on the top of his head. He caught her hand before she could retreat. "Just for the record", he said, not turning to look at her, "I _love you and shit_, too."

She closed her eyes and let out a laugh, shaking her head, "Yeah, I know." She watched as he left a kiss on her palm before he released her. She sighed, stood, and half ran back up the yard to the house.

Alyssa walked up the porch steps smiling wryly, "Come on, Let, I think we need girly time. Just let me take a quick shower – I've got sand in places you don't need to know about."

Letty smirked, "Dom's fault?" she guessed.

Alyssa laughed, "Isn't it always?" She cocked her head slightly, "Any good stores around here that take good ol' American _plastic_?" she asked wiggling her eyebrows pointedly.

Letty jumped from her chair and tackled Alyssa, nearly making them both fall off the porch. "Oh, thank god!" she muttered. "I've been jonesing for a good shopping spree. And I've _really_ been thinking about rifling through your purse and taking off in the middle of the night with your wallet", she teased.

Alyssa let out a long string of laughter, "I knew you only loved me for my Platinum Card", she giggled.

"Damn straight", Letty agreed grinning. "Go, shower, now", she prompted, pushing her towards the door. "Else I'll take your _Americana_ ass looking like that – sand in your cooch and all."

"_Ewww_, Letty!" she laughed, making a disgusted face. Then she started for the door when she realized Letty was chasing her.

00

The next morning, Alyssa woke up to a quiet house, which she found unusual. _Someone_ was always home. She poked around the house until she found Jesse in the shared basement space, sitting on the couch playing video games and smoking a joint. "Hey, Jess", she called, hoping not to startle him, "is that the good shit?"

He looked over at her, "Hell, yeah, man. Want some?"

"Definitely", she murmured curling up on the end of the couch.

He rolled her a joint and handed it to her, letting her light up and passed her the other controller. Twenty minutes later, Alyssa was positive that this was the best game to play high – because increased paranoia was helpful when you were trying not to get caught. Fifteen minutes after that, she promptly fell asleep, head on Jesse's lap in the middle of the game. Leon woke her up later, sitting on the couch and swinging her feet into his lap, and she smoked another half while Leon played a racing game by himself and Jesse was weirdly entranced playing with her hair, which she remember vaguely thinking was funny because when they were younger, he used to chase her off for trying to play with _his_ hair.

Alyssa was back to lying across them both and was staring blankly at the TV when everyone else came downstairs. Dom squatted down in front of her and she nearly groaned at the way he blocked the TV – the cars were _shiny_. Instead _he_ groaned, "How much did she have?"

"One and a half", Jesse answered, not looking away from the television.

Letty leaned over the back of the couch and peered into her face, "_Oh_, she is _toasted_", she laughed. Alyssa heard Mia giggle in the background.

"_Why_ are you all so fucking _loud?_" Alyssa muttered under her breath.

It was quiet enough that only Dominic laughed, "You okay there, baby?" he teased.

She squinted at him curiously, and reached a hand out slowly until her left pointer finger landed on his nose, "You shouldn't call me that", she said seriously.

He was trying to contain a grin to humor her, but he just moved her hand back to the couch and stood up. "Alright, she's not allowed to have any more of that stuff", he said shaking his head. "She's such a fucking lightweight, and I'd bet anything that she hasn't smoked anything since the last time she did it with one of you guys."

Alyssa sat up slowly, a thoughtful look on her face, before she seemed to remember something. She headed towards the basement stairs. "Where are you goin', girl?" Letty called.

"I'm really hungry", Alyssa said running up the stairs, nearly tripping as she tried to over-step them.

"Somebody better go watch her", Brian muttered wryly, "_Last_ time she got high was at my place in Miami. I woke up in the middle of the night and she was trying to eat raw noodles out of the box."

Dom coughed, "I'm on it", he laughed. When Dom got to the kitchen Alyssa was digging through his pantry.

"Where the fuck is all the food", she muttered to herself. Her back was to him, and he held back a laugh.

"There's stuff in the fridge", he suggested quietly, smirking at her when she jumped five feet in the air, dropping the items in her hands.

When she turned to face him she was calm though, and he had to wonder at her mood swings. "I can't eat that stuff in _there_", she complained, glaring at the closed refrigerator door.

"And why not?" he chuckled.

"It won't come _out_", was all she said before picking up what she had dropped. He rolled his eyes momentarily, but looked at her incredulously when he looked at what she had set on the island. She opened the bag of Tostitos and started digging them into the jar of peanut butter and shoving them into her mouth messily. _Oh, well_, he thought, _it was better than raw noodles_. That was until she disappeared into the pantry again and came back with an unopened jar of dill pickles.

She stared at the lid dauntingly for a moment before giving him a pleading look and holding the jar out, "Help."

He took it, mostly because he wondered if she would smash it against the counter to open it. "You want _these_", he held up the jar, "with _those_?" he pointed to the mess on the island. She nodded seriously. "There's an open jar in the fridge", he said reasonably.

She went wide eyed, "No, those are cold. And they won't come _out_." He opened the jar, because really, she was being reasonable – sort of.

She took it from him, set it next to her and stared inside of it, "How do I get them out?"

"Try a fork", Dom laughed.

She cocked her head sideways curiously and went for the silverware drawer. She took a few attempts to _stab_ a pickle, before finally skewering one long-ways, and became completely preoccupied with licking all the juice off said pickle. That was about the time that Dom shouted down the basement stairs for back-up.

Letty came up a few minutes later, "What's the problem?" she asked curiously – she hadn't _heard_ any yelling besides Dom, so she wondered what the issue was.

Dom just pointed at Alyssa and groaned. Letty leaned against his chest and laughed, "Oh, I see", she teased, "Free porn show."

"Make. Her. _Stop_", he demanded covering his face with his hands.

"Hey, this is probably the most action she's gotten in two months; let her play with her pickle", she chuckled. "Girl's got good technique", Letty grinned wickedly.

"The two of you have _got_ to be Devil's spawn", he said glowering as he took a seat at the table while Letty laughed.

00

Alyssa begged off dinner the next night when Mia finally came to get her. And as soon as Mia left Alyssa plugged in her electric heating pad and curled up with it under a tiny blanket.

"She doesn't feel well", Mia said, sitting down at the table.

"What's wrong with her?" Letty asked worriedly.

"She didn't say", Mia murmured, catching Leon take a dive for the tacos. She snapped her fingers at him, "She just looked kind of pale – Leon, say grace." He grumbled good-naturedly, and obeyed. After he was done, everyone promptly dug in.

"I'm gonna go check on her", Dom muttered in Letty's ear after dinner. "You know she prefers to suffer in silence."

Letty stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, "I'll be up after I help Mia clean up the kitchen." Dom nodded and trekked up the stairs to their floor.

He knocked on her bedroom door quietly – for probably the first time _ever_ – and stepped into the room, "You sleeping?" he asked quietly. '_Eyes on Fire_', he thought glaring at the stereo playing quietly, _seriously_?

"No", she muttered quietly, her back was to him and she was curled up under a throw blanket in the middle of the bed.

He walked around the other side of the bed placing a hand lightly on her forehead, "You sick?"

She shook her head, "Cramps", she hissed, shifting over slightly.

"You never did get anything done about that did you?" he muttered sitting down next to her.

She motioned to the bottle next to her on the night table, "Asshole doctor gave me elephant tranquilizers to shut me the fuck up", she grumbled. "They fuck with my head though; I don't like taking them – and they knock me out for ten hours at a time."

"Well, isn't that nice", he said sarcastically. "Did you take one?" he asked curiously, cocking his head.

"No, geez", she muttered. He pried the blanket away from her despite the weak protests, "Dom, that's not the best idea-"

He laughed under his breath, "I know you're not wearing pants", he teased. "Letty's coming up in a minute. If you ask, she'll let you use her for a pillow."

Alyssa gave up fighting over the blanket, it took too much energy. She sort of wished she had a long sleep shirt on instead of a white tank top, but at least her red underwear were boy-shorts. She stretched out reluctantly and let him climb over her on his knees and straddle her thighs.

His hands rested on her lower stomach gently, "You okay?" he asked seriously.

She nodded and closed her eyes, covering her face with her arms. This was honestly the _only_ way she could completely get rid of her cramps. She had tried pills, teas, Letty had suggested standing on her head when she was seventeen, Mia suggested yoga – which had been a _very_ desperate attempt, heating pads, cold compresses, none had worked.

Letty appeared in the doorway, walked in and closed it behind her before walking over and settling on the bed next to Alyssa running a hand through her hair sympathetically, "You always did have the worst cramps."

"No shit", she whined under her breath.

"You wanna get behind her, Let?" Dom said quietly.

She nodded, "Come 'ere, you", Letty said quietly, and the all shifted slightly. Alyssa sat up slightly and waited as Letty settled cross-legged and she dropped her head in Letty's lap on a pillow. She winced slightly as the heels of Dom's hands pressed into the flat of her stomach, kneading the tight muscles. Alyssa turned her head to side and felt Letty's fingers comb through her hair – she knew from experience that when she got up, she would have tight, tiny braids sticking out from all over her head and would look like a Medusa imposter – and her cramps would be gone.

This was quite a lengthy process, seeing as Dom stopped at thirty-second intervals, because they had discovered that if he didn't Alyssa tended to forget to breathe. So he had to give her a break before starting up again. It was at one of these stopping points that Letty abruptly snickered. Alyssa looked up curiously, "What?"

Letty tugged at her hair, "Were you self-medicating yesterday?" she asked in realization.

Alyssa groaned, "Slightly. It worked."

"You can't be high as a kite for four days, hon", she pointed out chuckling.

"Why not?" Alyssa grumbled, "It works for other people."

"And you were just gonna hide in bed and not say anything then?" Dom said pointedly.

Alyssa sighed, "I was trying to minimize touching, geez", she muttered quietly.

Dominic was looking down at her incredulously, but Letty _laughed_. "Christ, woman, you worry too much", she giggled. "I told you before, whatever you guys have got going works for you – I'm _honestly_ okay with that. I mean, really, he's got his hands all over you, and you're not even phased."

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "Not that I'm disputing the fact", she muttered, "but that's because I am _seriously in pain_. How would you know anyways?"

Letty smirked down at her, "'Cause I've been staring at your boobs for ten minutes", she laughed. "They ain't doin' nothin'."

"Oh, for Pete's sake", Alyssa groaned. "Letty, you're such a perv", she said covering herself playfully with her hands. "Boob spies", she accused rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, and they really _have_ shrunk", Letty said, shaking her head. "What the hell did you do to them?"

"_Nothing_", she squeaked incredulously.

"She lost fifteen pounds", Dom said flatly.

"What, _when_?" Letty demanded.

"How did you even know that?" Alyssa asked, looking up wide-eyed.

"Brian", he said finally. "He said you were thinner than a mailbox post."

"It wasn't that bad", she defended.

"We'll talk about that later, girlie", Letty muttered. "You're his one free-pass, you know", she said after a moment.

Alyssa shot upright, "_Excuse me?_" she asked incredulously. Letty was _serious_. "Fucking _hell_, I'm not an amusement park!" Talk about an out-of-the-blue statement.

"Letty, you shouldn't have said that to her", Dom muttered.

"You knew", Alyssa said flatly. "Let, there are so many things wrong with that statement; I don't even know where to start. Besides, isn't a free-pass list supposed to celebrities – or at least people you have no chance of running into? _Geez!_"

"You're hotter than Ava Mendez", Dom said lowly.

Alyssa's eyes widened, "Oh, for fuck's sake", she complained exasperatedly.

"And what?" Letty questioned Dom, ignoring her outburst momentarily, "Let her worry herself sick over something she's not going to do? How would that be better?" Then she looked down, tilted her head to the right and chuckled, "Okay, maybe I should have said that differently. I am _not_ telling you to sleep with him – we don't need to be _that_ close", she laughed. Alyssa looked up at her incredulously, jaw nearly dropping open. "Just that if something maybe,_ accidentally_ happened-"

Alyssa cut her off covering her own ears, "Ugh, _stop_", she pleaded. "I can't believe we're even _talking_ about this. I swear, Letty, this pregnancy is already making you insane. Are you having weird _dreams_ too?" she grumbled attempting to sit up, but she was pressed back against the mattress by Dom and she glared as he assaulted her sore muscles again. "We aren't talking about this anymore. I am _not_ going to sleep with your… _him_", she waved off-handedly. "Unfortunately, I just happen to find him very attractive when I'm drunk off my ass on Tequila", she muttered. "And _nothing_ is going to happen – accidentally or otherwise."

Dom laughed, Letty didn't. Her hands went back into Alyssa's hair, beginning a new braid. She raised an eyebrow, "Is there a _reason_ that you haven't been able to spit out the word 'boyfriend' since you've been here?" she asked curiously.

Alyssa frowned then laughed, "Letty, you guys have been together for so long… boyfriend is just a weird word. There's just _not_ a word for it – you guys are better than that kind of label. Besides, _you_ don't call him your boyfriend", she pointed out. "You just say, 'That's Dom – he's mine', and that's the end of it. Is there really a need for clarification here?"

"Okay, point taken", Letty grinned. "But if he's my '_whatever_'" – Dom snorted – "then what is he to you?" she asked mischievously.

Alyssa looked up and shot Dominic a baleful look. He was still on top of her, single-handedly preventing her escape, and not helping her at all. They engaged in a brief staring contest before he chuckled, "Turn over", he said finally. Alyssa scowled at him, but did as he asked reluctantly, noticing that he gave her only enough room to switch positions, but not enough to get out of his grip – at least not without him tackling her to the floor immediately and bringing her back caveman-style. She forgot her annoyance at him when his hands moved against her lower back.

After a moment of silence, Letty cleared her throat, clearly wanting an answer. Alyssa huffed, lifting her head up slightly. "He's my '_not_-whatever'. You know I don't do emotional crap, Letty", she said, her voice tinged with supreme irritation.

"Very true", Dom muttered from behind her. "This morning she told me 'she loved me and shit' – and it damn near gave me the warm fuzzies", he teased, pretending to wipe away a decidedly fake tear, and then ruined it by pinching her ass. Letty held a hand over her mouth and laughed.

Alyssa groaned in annoyance, completely ignoring the trauma to her rear end, "If I _could_, I'd have a _man_ – and we wouldn't be having this discussion. I just need to get laid – end of story."

Silence.

"Ugh, crap", Alyssa moaned, "Not by _him_", she all but shouted. "I need to be able to run away afterwards", she muttered pointedly. "He's not coming anywhere near me with 'the beast'", she said shaking her head, wide-eyed. Dom rolled off her and onto the bed laughing. After a few minutes, neither she nor Letty could help cracking up themselves. "Aw, you guys _suck_", Alyssa complained through her laughter.

"Consider it 'group therapy'", Dom laughed near her ear.

"Couples counseling", Letty continued mirthfully.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "_Fine_", she muttered, "Just no 'man-hunting', I mean it."

"I'm not going to _help_ you get laid", Dominic muttered.

"Thank god", Alyssa teased, "_Creepy_", she sang.


	16. Chapter 16

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N: On the subject of flaming – I'm fully aware that this is a public board and people are entitled to their own opinion – that's fine and dandy. And, you know what? I can take constructive criticism – key word being **_**constructive.**_** But for you three assholes that clearly think my story is a travesty – and didn't like it from the beginning – and are still reading chapter 15, kindly fuck off. If you have nothing better to do, that's not my problem. Take up stamp collecting or something equally stupid. And I find it interesting that none of **_**you**_** actually have any stories posted. Keep in mind that not only is this website for **_**fiction**_**, but you do **_**not**_** have to read it. If you aren't taking up stamp collecting as a way to take up your clearly **_**abundant**_** time, kindly fall off the next cliff you happen to come to. For god's sake, at least I know how to use correct punctuation.**

_**Chapter 15**_

The next morning upon waking up, Alyssa made a decision. She went, puppy nipping at her heels, and found Brian in the kitchen. She stole him only long enough to pose one question. "When is the deadline for the money?" she asked quietly.

Instead of questioning her like he clearly wanted to, he just answered her, "The end of next month." She nodded once, picked up Riley, and left out the back door, only stopping to slide into her flip flops. Brian shook his head, "She is up to _no_ good", he muttered under his breath. Then he tilted his head comically in the direction she had just walked in, watching the back door slam, and he assumed she was going out to the garage. He chuckled. She'd be embarrassed as hell later for going out there in her pajamas.

Alyssa walked down the dirt path to the garage until she got to the side door. She stopped for a moment, steeling her resolve, before opening the door, not bothering to be quiet. Dominic looked out from under the hood of a Chrysler when the door slammed shut. "Dom, we gotta talk for a minute", she said tensely.

He looked at her seriously for a minute, leaning back against the car and cocked his head. He smirked, "Good morning to you too, Sunshine", he teased. "Nice jammies."

Alyssa looked down quickly, and let out an annoyed noise, "Crappers", she muttered. A white tank top and light blue soffee shorts making it apparent that she had literally just rolled out of bed. "I can't believe Brian let me walk out here like this", she grumbled.

"Those shorts make your legs look nine feet long", he commented amusedly.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Can we be serious for a minute?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

Dom nodded folding his arms across his chest, "Flatten your hair first – you look like you stuck a fork in an electrical socket."

"Well, this day is going to be _fabulous_", Alyssa muttered under her breath. She set her whining puppy down to run around the garage and ran an exasperated hand through her hair. "Dom, I need to get away for a few days", she said finally, copying his pose.

Dominic raised his eyebrows, "What the hell for?"

"Please", she said seriously. "I don't think I really have to answer that. I need some time to get my head on straight."

"This is about us", he said flatly.

"I'm so sick of all this shit, Dom", she said quietly. "I want things between you and me to go back to the way they're supposed to be. To do that, I need a few days to myself. I'm not asking", she said seriously. "I just need a week – before something awful happens."

"It really is that bad for you, isn't it?" he muttered.

"Not totally your fault", she said giving a wry smile. "And until I can create some sort of mind barrier, I'm really gonna need you to stop flirting with me", Alyssa said seriously. "I just… we need to start acting like adults before it bites us in the ass", she said with a sigh.

Dominic raised an amused eyebrow, but he sighed, "Alright, you do whatever you gotta do. I'll stop fucking with you on purpose", he agreed.

She smirked, "Leaving room for incidentals, huh?" she teased.

"Old habits die hard", he shrugged, grinning at her.

"Thank you", she said honestly.

"Where are you gonna go?" he asked pointedly.

She shook her head, "Not telling. I'm not leaving Mexico", she offered.

"Hotel?" he questioned, vaguely amused.

She shook her head, "Nope."

"Brothel?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I hate you", she muttered. "Yes, Dominic, I'm staying at a _brothel_", she said sarcastically, "Asshole."

He laughed. "Just wondering", he said innocently.

She grinned, annoyance and amusement warring on her face, "You _suck_", she said finally.

"Only a week?" he wondered seriously.

Alyssa nodded. "Yes, or I'll call if something changes for some reason – unless I've _joined_ the brothel", she teased.

Dominic rolled his eyes. "Try not to get kidnapped while you're gone", he muttered seriously.

"I suppose you're expecting me to stay out of trouble as well", she murmured, stifling a grin.

"Just come back with your original pieces-parts in tact", he said shaking his head. "When are you leaving?"

"This afternoon", she said carefully. "I'm going to stay at a friend's house. No one is there and I have a spare key." She wanted some time to herself, and she definitely didn't want anyone coming after her, but she didn't want him worried about her while she was gone.

He nodded, "Alright; take your phone."

"I'll check for messages", she said calmly. "I'll call if I need something, but I'm leaving it off." He nodded again, and she turned to leave, calling her puppy that was sniffing through a box of clean cloths, when he called her back again.

"Hey", he said, "Get your ass back over here."

Alyssa whirled, slightly surprised, but walked willingly into a tight hug. She sighed gratefully. Even now, his grip on her kept her together when she really wanted nothing more than to fall apart. That wasn't something she took for granted, neither did she want that to change. "Thank you", she said quietly. Then she pulled away with a groan.

"What?" he asked curiously.

She huffed aggravatedly, "You leave my stomach in a permanent state of fluttery annoyance – and it makes me want to smack you."

He laughed. He couldn't help it. "Sorry", he said mirthfully.

"No", Alyssa refuted, "you're really not."

"Don't kill all the butterflies", he said quietly. "Or else you'll find a guy that you're really in love with and you won't figure it out until I tell you."

She chuckled, "Yeah, that'll be the day. And I'm slightly offended that you think I'm that stupid."

"Stupid, no… oblivious, yes", he said shaking his head.

"Says Mr. I can't ask Letty out because I'm such a man-whore she'll say no", Alyssa teased.

"At least I knew I was in love with her", he grumbled.

Alyssa giggled, "Yeah, yeah, alright. That was the best night of blackmail _ever_."

"You were such a bitch", Dom complained. "You laughed for like twenty minutes."

"I had never seen you act like such a pussy", she said, laughing outright. "And it served you right, interrupting my conversation by acting like a jealous asshole."

He groaned in annoyance, "Bitch", he said pointedly.

"Only because I love you – in a completely appropriate kind of way", Alyssa said grinning, "The last few weeks notwithstanding."

"You're an unbelievable pain in the ass", he grumbled.

"Part of my charm", she said lightly. She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I have to go pack."

"So tiny, so annoying", he muttered. She laughed. "Taking your puppy?" he asked.

"Of course", she answered looking around. "Where'd she-" Alyssa spotted Riley _in_ the box of cloths. "Oh geez", she snickered. She went over and picked her up, nestling her into the crook of her arm. "C'mon sleepyhead", she murmured. "God only knows what trouble you'd get into if I left you out here." Alyssa walked back over to Dom, who was grinning. She shook her head, "Say bye to Daddy."

Dom laughed as the puppy cocked her head sideways, and he reached over to rub her head. "She looks like you when you're confused", he teased.

Alyssa kicked his shin lightly, "Shut up." Riley barked.

"See", Dom said, "She thinks you should be nice to her Daddy."

"No", Alyssa argued, "She thinks you should be nice to her _Mommy_." She froze momentarily, cocking her head sideways. "Dominic, you bought me a dog", she said flatly.

He raised an eyebrow, "Where the hell have you been the last few days?"

She fought with herself for a moment before deciding not to say anything. She shook her head and sighed, "Never mind", she said quietly.

He gave her a curious look, like he thought she was crazy, "_Okay_", he muttered.

"I'll say goodbye to everyone before I leave", she said changing the subject. "I have to go pack", she said. He just nodded, and she turned and left.

00

Alyssa left after lunch that afternoon – after a round of arguments and protests. Dominic stood there, laughing in amusement at her misfortune until she gave him a glare that made him step in and tell everyone to shut the hell up, saying she would be back in a week. No one was happy when they figured out that she had gone to Dom first and he wasn't going to make her stay. He was the only one who could _really_ pull rank on her. She was well-acquainted with their family's chain of command, and had used it to her advantage.

Alyssa and Letty – well, it went back and forth depending on the situation, but neither of them could _make_ the other do anything they didn't want to. They would argue, and maybe someone would give in just to make the other shut up, but that was it. And Vince… well, they would go until someone split them up. Or else he would grab her over his shoulder and make her do what he wanted or she threw something at him and left. Between the three of them, they were pretty even, and if the three of them got into an argument, there was usually some sort of bloodshed unless Dom stepped in and separated them. Dominic being in prison had led to the three of them being a ridiculously strong unit of power, especially once Leon and Jesse had become part of the family, and they had ruled with an iron fist. None of them tolerated any sort of bullshit – even from each other, keeping them all accountable for their actions when they fucked up.

Well-placed reasoning could possibly talk her into listening to the other ones if she knew she was wrong, but an absolute no… she would only take that from Dominic. He didn't do it to her often, which was why she even let him get away with it, but occasionally he would completely end their arguments, making his word the law. Arms folded, and an 'abso-_fucking_-lutely _not_' from him, had her snarling and stalking away from him, generally cursing his existence, but she wouldn't disobey the order.

There was no chance of that happening today though, and she was grateful. He would keep the others off her back while she was gone. Alyssa had made a bed in a laundry basket with towels and toys on the front passenger seat, and went and put Riley in it after dumping her one suitcase in the trunk before saying her goodbyes. A round of hugs had her tearing up, and Dom couldn't help but laugh at her. She turned to Rome and Anna, "You two, have my permission to cause all kinds of trouble for them while I'm gone", she said grinning.

Rome laughed, and tugged her back into another hug, only long enough to mutter in her ear, "Call me if you need someone to come get you – from anywhere. Doesn't matter what time it is."

"Promise", she whispered. "I'll be fine."

"No Tequila", he insisted seriously.

She laughed as he let her go, "Not this time", she agreed.

Alyssa looked over at Dominic, and they shared a look. She let him walk her down the driveway to her car. She leaned against the right driver's side door and looked up at him, "This was a hell of a lot easier in those heels", she muttered.

He gave her a wry grin, "You gonna be alright?" he asked after a minute.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Call me by ten tonight so I know you got there okay", he said.

She gave a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to make this harder on her. And she wasn't even going to have to worry about trying to locate her position on a map depending on when she called him. She nodded, "I'll leave my phone on until after I talk to you – but, don't tell the rest of them that. It will be on silent anyways."

He chuckled, "Good enough."

"We can talk when I get back then, yeah?" she said quietly.

Dom nodded, "Be careful", he suggested mildly, raising both eyebrows.

She grinned, "As much as usual."

He rolled his eyes, "That's not very reassuring", he stated dryly.

"I can take care of myself", she said gently. Alyssa stepped forward and gave him a quick side-hug, before stepping back playfully. "We still have an audience", she said amusedly, shaking her head. "I'd better go."

He reached around and opened her door, letting her slide in, and shut it. She started the car, enjoying the quiet growl of the engine, and rolled her window down. "Don't forget to call – or I'll bust your ass when you get back", he warned.

She let out a musical laugh, "Point taken. Dom", she said, remembering something, "Tell Letty to check her wallet."

"What for?" he asked leaning back in the widow.

"Just do it", she grinned. "I'll explain to her when I call tonight, but _you_ are taking her on a date this week – and she needs to go shopping. I wanna see if she can put a dent in my card's spending limit", she laughed.

Dom chuckled, "What's the limit?"

"Don't have one", Alyssa admitted amusedly.

"You're so screwed", Dominic laughed.

"Try to get a picture when you tell her, and text it to me", she said shaking her head.

"Okay", he agreed mirthfully. "Get outta here before they try to break your car", he said gesturing over his shoulder.

"I'll call you tonight", she said quietly. Then she grinned evilly, "Brian's hair is getting dyed green when I get back." Dominic's laughter followed her as she pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the interstate.

00

Alyssa drove down the coast until she reached Puerto Vallarta. It was nearly seven-thirty when she got there, and she made a quick stop at a local market for a few food items that would hold her over until morning before driving to the beach house. It was a relatively new purchase and she was grateful the Brian didn't know about it, or he'd have certainly followed her. She pulled the key for the deadbolt out of her purse pocket and unlocked the front door.

Alyssa walked through the house and found the door from the inside that led to the garage after disarming the alarm system and opened the garage door. She walked through it and pulled her car into it and closed it again before taking Riley out front to do her business before putting her back in her basket while she unloaded her bag from the trunk. She relocked the house once she was certain she was done, and let the puppy run around the house sniffing at everything while Alyssa trailed after her laughing at her enthusiasm.

When the puppy finally tired herself out from exploring and flopped down on the floor, Alyssa started cooking some vegetables for a stir-fry and went to call Nick, leaving him on speakerphone while she wandered around the kitchen.

"I'm guessing you got there alright, then?" he asked when he answered.

"Yeah, thanks for this – I owe you one", she muttered unhappily.

He chuckled, "I've got a way you can repay me."

She groaned, "What?"

"Don't worry, you'll even like this one", he teased. "Repaint the living room while you're there and we'll call it even."

"Seriously?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm assuming you need something to do while you're there… and I hate that red", Nick said laughing.

Alyssa cocked her head and backtracked until she could see the living room walls, "They are kind of dark for a beach house – especially with the wood flooring", she admitted. "Alright", she agreed immediately. "Any preferences?" she queried.

"Not pink", he said finally. "Anything else, I don't care."

Alyssa snickered. "Deal", she agreed. "Give me a few days to think about it, and I'll call you again when I decide."

"I don't know why you don't do interior design like I know you want to", he said seriously. "Working as a hotel receptionist is so fucking boring."

"Did you become a receptionist when I haven't been paying attention?" she teased rolling her eyes. "Besides, I get all the excitement I need working with my brother", she grumbled, "You know that."

"And you hate that too", he said flatly. "You could be happier than you have been these last few years."

She sighed, "Maybe you're right", she admitted. "But I don't have a clue what to do about it. Besides, I never went to college… who the fuck would hire someone with no experience or education?"

"Anyone who saw how good you are", he said seriously.

"Fine, I'll get right on the graffiti industry in San Francisco when I get back", she muttered.

He laughed, "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"I want out, Nick", she sighed. "I want my own life."

"I know", he said quietly. "We'll figure something out, I promise."

"We'll see", she muttered. "I've gotta go, I'm making dinner."

"Alright, call me in a few days then", he said.

"Nick, thanks", she said softly.

"Anytime, you know that", he said. He hung up.

Alyssa went back to her vegetable mix on the WOK, stirring them around slightly and turned on the kitchen radio and turned it to a jazz station that she knew Dom would cringe at hearing – but she knew he secretly like jazz, which she found amusing. But at the same time, he had inflicted a Barry White album on her once, and she had buried herself in his pillows laughing her ass off. She couldn't even take it seriously… and she refused to dwell on her response when Dom had tried to sing it to her – to be clear, Dominic Toretto can_not_ sing well. And to be fair, he did also like Rammstein, which also tended to annoy her. She couldn't listen to them for more than one song – after that she was climbing the walls.

When her food was done, she scooped her food into a bowl and went to sit in a wing-backed chair in the living room and nibbled at her food while she stared out the glass doors that made up most of that side of the house. It was nearly dark, but she could see the remaining pink, fluffy clouds lingering in the sky from sunset. Riley whined at her until Alyssa picked her up and set her on the ottoman and Riley curled up next to her feet contentedly.

She was setting her empty dish on the coffee table when her phone went off. Text message from Dom, she snickered as she snatched it and opened it. She let out a surprised laugh at the picture. It was priceless. Letty didn't get the bug-eyed look very often, and Alyssa couldn't help but be smug.

_Nice one_, she texted back, _thanks._ _I'll call you at ten._

A few minutes later her alert sounded again. She read it and chuckled. _That got me outta trouble for letting you leave._

_Whipped_, she teased.

He sent her back a picture of himself flicking her off. _Bitch_, it said underneath it.

She laughed and put the phone back on the table. Alyssa got up and went to clean up her mess in the kitchen before settling back in her chair with her laptop. She wrote Kayla a lengthy email and put it on the floor near her seat and went hunting for the remote control in the large entertainment center. It was nearly the same set up as hers, so she didn't have a problem trying to get everything to work and turned to the cooking channel to pass the time. She set the alarm on her phone just in case she fell asleep, but thoughts swirling around her head didn't allow the brief reprieve she desired.

When the alarm finally startled her an hour and a half later, she was nearly ready to say 'fuck it' and go back to Dom's. She lived at home in California, and she had gotten used to it, but being with her family reminded her of the longing to be with people she loved, be a part of all the craziness that came with having a family. Alyssa wasn't sure what she would do when it was time for her to go back. She grabbed her phone and called Dom. Even after all these years, he was still in her top five speed dials.

"I thought you'd wait a while", Dom answered on the third ring. He was grinning.

She shrugged, even though she knew he couldn't see her, "Figured if I did, someone might put out an amber alert", she said nonchalantly.

"Right", he said skeptically.

"Seriously", she muttered.

"You settled in?" he wondered.

"Just chillin', yeah", she murmured. "I'm watching the cooking channel", she admitted.

"Bored already?" he asked knowingly.

"It's too quiet", she complained, giving up.

"Come back then", he muttered, "It's been a goddamn circus here all day."

She laughed lightly, "They're giving you grief?" she surmised.

"_Loudly_", he grumbled.

"Poor baby", she murmured. "They haven't been blowing up my phone", she said curiously.

"I threatened them with death", he answered flatly.

She couldn't stop the laughter at that, "I'll make it up to you", she promised once she could breathe again.

"Damn right you will", Dominic said darkly.

"Are you hiding out somewhere?" she wondered, finally noticing the silence on his end as well.

"The roof", he said flatly. "I locked your bedroom door and climbed out the window."

"How long have you been out there?" Alyssa asked incredulously.

"An hour or so", he admitted ruefully.

"They've really been that bad?" she wondered seriously.

"Letty shut up after she saw that you left her favorite sort of plastic for her; the others are still downstairs bitching", he said aggravatedly.

"Do you want me to talk to them?" she offered quietly.

He snorted, "We've never explained our shit to them when we've got it handled – I'm not starting that trend now."

Alyssa sighed. He was right to a point, but their relationship didn't just affect them. "Shared custody for the kids then?" she teased after a minute of silence.

"Nope", he said immediately, scrubbing his hand over his face tiredly, "You can take them all."

"_Dominic_", she laughed. "Are you going to handle this shit, or do I need to bust some asses when I get back?" she asked finally.

"Oh, no, they'll be dead before then if they don't quit it", he said seriously.

"Hit Vince for me when you finally go in – you know just as well as I do, he started it and is keeping it going", she said flatly. "You can tell him it's from me."

"That's a request I won't mind following through on", he said. He cleared his throat, "Enough about the kids", Dom muttered. "Or else I'm searching Mexico and finding you and staying until you come back."

She let out a laugh, "Ungrateful brats", she said playfully.

"You like the place you're staying at – besides the fact that it's too quiet?" he asked.

Alyssa bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. "It's nice", she said finally. "Bigger than my apartment, and it's empty – I'm not really sure what to do with myself", she admitted. "Riley is asleep. She has to be the world's calmest Rottweiler on the planet. She's gonna be a good dog."

"Stoner went into Mia's closet today", Dom laughed. "He stole a pair of her sandals."

Alyssa giggled, "Oh, shit. I bet she was _not_ happy."

"Not at all", he answered gleefully.

Alyssa's jaw dropped, something in his tone clueing her in, "Dominic Toretto, don't even tell me you had anything to do with that", she said pointedly. "I _stole_ her shoes – I didn't feed them to my _dog_!"

"Eh", he said calmly, "Could have been an accident."

"You fucking liar", she laughed. "Don't let her find out", she said with a sigh.

"Don't plan to", he answered.

"They think you had something to do with me leaving", she said flatly, after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, pretty much", Dom stated.

"You can tell them it had nothing to do with you", Alyssa said after a minute. "It's none of their business, anyways. Besides, I'll only be gone a week."

"No", he said after a minute. "You left on your own – it wasn't my idea, but we both know damn well it was because of me."

"And yet I'm still talking to you", she said softly. "I don't hold grudges, Dom – at least not with you. They shouldn't either. Massive ass kicking when I get back?" she suggested.

"Definitely", he grumbled.

"I'll leave my phone on for the night after ten, alright?" she offered. "Call me if you want to. Go back inside, smack Vince for me, then go to sleep", she murmured.

He chuckled, "Night, 'Lyss."

"Sweet dreams", she said quietly. She clicked her phone off contentedly.

00

**A/N 2: Well, look at those two, trying to act their age! Shocking, right? I wonder how long that will last… Ranting and raving aside, my **_**actual**_** reviewers who like this story, review please! I'm working on the next chapter as we speak. Tomorrow is my last final, yay! So I'm celebrating by posting now, lol.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 16**_

Alyssa went into town the next day and spent more hours than she would have liked at the paint store, haggling – in Spanish – with one of the assistants over prices of paints, and other materials. She wasn't happy they were trying to rip her off. She was American, not stupid – and the man was slightly shocked when she lit into him in his native tongue. It was smooth sailing from then.

She had taken pictures of the living room with Nick's automatic Polaroid and brought them with her for references along with a list of measurements. Alyssa waived the annoying, hovering man away and she found a table to sit at while she looked through various shades of oil-based paint chip samples. She was determined not to paint the living room any shade of white – the kitchen was Antique White, and it looked fine, but the house needed _some_ color, and the more she had stared at the red, the more horrific she decided it was.

She was finally debating between a light yellow and a blue which she wasn't sure would look appropriate with the flooring when an interesting shade of green caught her eye. It looked like a less muted shade of jade- like it was mixed with just a bit of lime coloring. She picked out the rest of her paint supplies and bought a small can of test paint and headed for the house. She spent the rest of the evening washing the walls down and then sanding them.

The next morning, sure that the walls were dry, she applied the primer and went to shower. She dressed in a long white skirt and a dark blue halter top, slid into her black flip flops and took off to visit the flea market located on the platform above the beach that she had seen advertised on a flyer while at the paint store. She walked through the heart of the village, weaving expertly through the crowds of people, reveling in the culture and watching the people. She finally came to a jewelry station that caught her eye, and decided that in case she never came back here again, she wanted a souvenir. Twenty minutes later, after paying for her purchase – she had found a hemp necklace, a red silk scarf which she immediately tied in her hair, and a pair of hand-crafted, amethyst tear-drop earrings – her phone rang.

"Dominic", she answered amusedly, "More problems?" she teased gleefully walking back towards the path back to Nick's house.

"Come home now", he grumbled. "My god, they're so fucking annoying."

She let out a peal of laughter. "Can't handle your crew anymore, huh?"

"It's not funny", he snarled. "What the fuck's wrong with them?"

She shrugged, "They missed me", she said flatly.

"Your phone's on", he said thoughtfully after a minute. "I was just gonna call and leave you an irritated message."

"Sorry, I can hang up and let you if you'd like", she muttered playfully.

He chuckled, "No, that's okay."

"Did they drive you out of your own house again?" she asked mirthfully.

"Jesse has the puppy so I went to the cliff", he said. Alyssa buried a laugh. "What are you doing today?" he asked after a minute.

"I have living room walls prepped to paint", she said grinning. "I spent yesterday looking at an assortment of paint colors and my eyes were nearly crossed when I finally found the perfect color. I'm going to test it today. I'm waiting for the primer to dry, so I went exploring. I was just disengaging myself from a flea market when you called", Alyssa laughed.

"Glad _you're_ having fun", he muttered spitefully.

"Want some cheese with that whine?" she asked playfully.

"More like hard liquor", he answered.

Alyssa chuckled, "Suck it up and I'll leave a day early and drive up to the winery in Ensenada before I come back and bring you some good wine", she offered.

"The Bodegas de Santo Tomas wine tasting place?" he wondered.

She laughed, "Good as gold", she murmured.

"Never made it up that way", he said.

"To close to the border for your paranoia", she said knowingly.

"Something like that", he admitted.

"I took a tour there a few years back", she said. "Good wine, amazing really – but their burnt orange paint job makes me cringe", she complained.

"It's Mexico", he pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "_'While safeguarding the meaning of the truths that he translates, [the good translator] ought to adapt his style to the genius of the language in which he is expressing it.'_"

"What's that from?" Dominic asked her curiously.

"A quote from Saint Thomas", she said quietly. "The winery has it carved into a large stone next to the building." She chuckled then, "Alcohol as an expression of language… I don't know about that, but I appreciate the quote in general."

"You still think music speaks to you?" he asked amusedly.

"Yes", Alyssa said immediately. "There are strange things that are good for your soul in ways that don't completely make sense", she said quietly as she finally walked up the driveway and unlocked the front door and walked inside. "It's the reason you don't like the same music that I do."

"That sounds like new-age bullshit", he said flatly.

She grinned, "No, it's not. Music has purpose – you don't pay attention to what you listen to, Dominic."

"You think I should just sit and wait for music to _tell_ me something?" he asked skeptically.

"Don't play stupid", she sighed. "It doesn't suit you. I know you know what I mean. _Maybe_", she said gently, "you should search for something that will help you to forgive yourself", she suggested softly. "There's no need for any more self-inflicted agony – I thought you would have realized that by now."

She heard him sigh – then he hung up. Alyssa shook her head and slid the phone onto the counter and took Riley outside to play in the yard. She wasn't offended. Alyssa hated when he was right about her too.

00

After lunch Alyssa decided on two square feet of wall and painted a layer of the test paint onto it and then promptly ignored the rest of the walls that seemed to be begging her for color. She wanted it to dry properly to get a feel for it. She wanted to see what the color would say to her between now and tomorrow before she would go back to the store and buy more of the paint.

That evening, she finally did what she came for. She checked her email after dinner and got a simple response to her startlingly honest email to Kayla: _"A pair of powerful spectacles has sometimes sufficed to cure a person in love" – Friedrich Nietzsche._

Her first response was to laugh and send back another quote from Nietzsche. _"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."_

Her second response was to re-read the original quote until she broke down in tears.

00

The next morning, she was curled up on the couch where she had fallen asleep the previous night, nursing a large cup of coffee. Sometime during the night she had changed into flannel pajama pants, and she had yet to get dressed. She had let Riley out while the coffee was brewing earlier, and Alyssa was watching her gnaw on a puppy bone on the floor when the doorbell rang.

Alyssa sat from her slouching position curiously. She wasn't expecting anyone. And Nick was currently in New York, and as much as he loved to irritate her and this was his house, he would have called if his plans had changed – he wouldn't intrude on her when he knew she was in a fragile state. She sighed, she was betting it was one of her other idiots. She made her way to the front door somewhat reluctantly, Riley barking behind her. Someone was going to die. She peaked out the spy-hole and groaned.

"What are you _doing_ here?" she complained hoarsely through the door.

"Let me in", he said flatly.

"Go back to Dom's", she muttered. "I'll be back next week." She didn't want him to see her like this – he would hit the roof. Her eyes were bloodshot, she had been up most of the night crying, her throat was raw… and she didn't want to yell at him today. Vince banged on the door again. She twisted the lock and whipped the door opened. "Take a goddamn chill-pill", she snarled.

He stepped into the house and slammed the door shut before she could slam the door in his face. "You look like shit."

She just shook her head and walked back into the living room for her coffee, knowing he would follow her. "How did you find me?" she asked tiredly as she sat back in her spot.

"Jesse installed a GPS in all the cars a few years back", he said nonchalantly settling on the floor to play tug-of-war with the dog.

"Dominic asked you guys to leave me alone", she said after a minute. "Why are you here?"

"A better question would be what are you doing here? I thought we were done with all this running away bullshit", he said pointedly.

Alyssa did quick math in her head, "I _didn't_ run away", she said flatly. "Go upstairs and go to bed", she muttered. "We'll talk this afternoon."

He stared her down momentarily, but finally nodded and got up. "I'm not leaving until I get some answers."

She just shook her head, "Upstairs, first door on the right is the guest room." He left and she sat motionless, still in shock as to what had just happened. She waited for twenty minutes until she heard his snoring reverberating through the house and grabbed her cell phone and took the Riley out the glass doors to sit on the back deck in a lounge chair.

She called Dom. "Late night?" she questioned sarcastically when he muttered something unintelligible into the phone.

"What's the problem?" he growled.

"Date night with Letty?" she asked, not yet answering him. "I don't think you'd be out with anyone else after two in the morning."

"Why the hell are you waking me up to chit chat?" he snarled.

"Because Vince is currently snoring in my guest room", she said flatly, "Which means he left late last night."

"No he's not", Dom said incredulously.

"Somebody's been watching the GPS in my car – which you didn't tell me about", she accused playfully, attempting to rile him up. He was fun to annoy when he was sleepy. Poking a bear and all that jazz – she had a long stick.

"Oh, for god's sake", he grumbled. "I _forgot_ about that."

"I never said _you_ did it", Alyssa teased. "And yes, he is", she complained. "I'm gonna kill people when I get back", she whined.

"Mass murder", Dom muttered sleepily, "I'll help." She heard the bed springs squeak as he pulled himself reluctantly out of bed.

Alyssa chuckled and went to pour herself another cup of coffee, "Don't start the fun without me", she warned.

He made a noise of annoyance and she bit back a laugh. "You sound like you lost your voice", he said curiously as she went back outside.

"I didn't get much sleep last night either", she muttered, "Self-inflicted emotional breakdown."

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"I will be", she said after a minute. "I probably won't get Vince out of here until tomorrow", she sighed.

"I don't think he liked that you came to me first", Dominic stated.

Alyssa huffed in annoyance, "I know. And that's something that I'll handle before he leaves – I think that issue should stay between me and him. But the rest of the bullshit can rain down like a shit storm from both of us when I get back", she said gleefully.

He chuckled, "Sounds fun."

She was serious again, "When I said we needed to start acting like adults, I didn't just mean you and I. Them being pissed that you _let_ me leave is irritating. We are all adults, and if I want a few days away, I really don't need their collective permission."

"Do you think you need mine?" he asked seriously.

"I value your opinion", she said honestly. "And you and I have always worked differently together no matter what our relationship was like."

"You didn't answer my question", he pointed out.

Alyssa sighed again, "It's not so much as _permission_…" she struggled momentarily. "I went to you because this is about you and I and I've always kept our business separate from them just like you have. Not everything that happens between us involves them, and some things are better dealt with privately."

"Respect", he said seriously.

"Yes, between us, that's a big part of it", she agreed. "Trust isn't something I take lightly. We don't abuse that power."

"Okay, good", he said. "Because as far as thing between you and I go, even after everything, you know that if you ever needed anything – I hope I would be the first person you would call."

"That goes both ways", she said quietly, "Family first – always."

"The one thing that hasn't gotten completely fucked up", Dom muttered.

"That's a pretty big thing", she pointed out. "Stop beating yourself up over the past, Dom, I mean it – it won't change anything. You're starting a new part of your life, and you deserve to enjoy it without the ghosts."

"It's not that easy", he said flatly.

"You think I don't know that?" she asked incredulously. "I'm preaching to the choir here, Dom." Alyssa sighed, "I think there are a few things we need to talk about when I get back", she said finally.

"Like what?"

"I'll wait and see what happens when I talk to Vince", she murmured. "But there are a few things you should probably know."

"Should I be worried?" he sighed.

"No", she said after a minute, "It's not like that."

"Every time you say that, it's always _worse_ than what I'm thinking", he complained.

Alyssa chuckled, "I want to fix us, Dom. Vince accused me of running away… I argued with him at the time, but- now I don't know. _Maybe_ it's okay to run away temporarily, as long as you don't _keep_ running", she said thoughtfully.

"Well, I'll tell you this: if you aren't home by Thursday night, I gonna drag your ass back from wherever you are", he said seriously.

"The kids are revolting", she laughed. "That's really pretty funny if you think about it."

"A _mutiny_ is _not_ funny", he grumbled.

"Well, I've got the number one trouble-maker here, so see what you can do to straighten out the rest of them", she suggested. "An honest conversation is usually helpful – and if not, we can yell all you want when I get back."

"More of your 'communication is key' garbage", he muttered sarcastically.

She grinned, "Suck it up, big man. I suggest you start _treating_ them like adults – actions will follow eventually."

"You sound sure about that", he said skeptically.

"Yeah", she said quietly, "It's time. We can talk about it when I come back. Oh!" she said, a random thought popping into her head.

He laughed at her general ability to be distracted too easily, "Did'ja see something shiny?" he teased.

"_No_", she sighed exasperatedly. "I wanna us all to go to the beach when I get back. Sand, water, and _sunshine_ equals bliss", she moaned happily at the thought.

"We have all that at the house", he pointed out.

"You dumping me in a fucking _water trough_ does _not_ count as water, you shithead", she growled.

Dominic laughed, "Fine – only if you come back on time", he bargained.

She rolled her eyes, "I already said I would", she reminded. "Besides, we could just kidnap you", Alyssa said lightly. "Did you have fun last night?" she asked happily.

"Yeah", he muttered, "It was nice – we haven't gotten to do that in a while."

She cocked her head sideways at his lowered tone, "Where are you sneaking off to?" she chided getting up and heading back into the house.

"Nowhere", he said suspiciously.

"Liar", she laughed quietly as she went up the stairs to get dressed. She wanted to run to the store and get her paint before Vince woke up and bothered her the rest of the day. Painting would be a welcome distraction so she wouldn't have to give him her full attention – and it would annoy him, which was a plus. Alyssa sighed, "Give her the phone. I know she's bouncing up and down."

He laughed, "How'd you know?"

"Telepathy", she responded primly.

"You sure?" he checked laughing, "Last chance."

"Lemme talk to Letty", she insisted.

"What the hell's with the early morning wakeup call?" Letty demanded immediately.

"Umm, hi?" Alyssa said laughing.

"_Hi_", Letty said flatly. "Answer the question."

"He didn't tell me you were _cranky_", Alyssa whined. "Bastard", she complained.

"It's seven in the morning and I'm _awake_", Letty muttered. "Why the fuck is that?"

"_Because_", Alyssa sighed, "Like I told Dom, Vince is currently snoring in my guest room. Why the fuck is _that_?" she returned in annoyance.

"I didn't have anything to do with that", Letty said after a minute. "Where the hell are you anyways?"

"In Mexico", Alyssa said flatly hitting the button for speakerphone as she dug through the clothes she had put in the closet. "How was your date?" she said, her tone suddenly chipper.

"Awesome", Letty grumbled.

Alyssa laughed. Letty wasn't a morning person when she was woken up by something other than Dom or an alarm clock. "Give the phone back to Dom, _Senorita_ Cranky-pants", Alyssa chuckled. "I wanna hear all about it when I get back and you're awake", she said honestly.

"I tried to warn you", Dom laughed. "Ow!" he complained. Alyssa heard the smacking noise through the phone.

She collapsed in giggles. "I _finally_ figured it out!" she said amusedly.

"Figured what out, Giggles?" he asked tolerantly.

"I'm the ex-wife!" she managed to choke out. She fell onto the bed as she zipped her jean shorts.

"_What_?" Dom said incredulously.

"_For the love god, will you two shut the fuck up!" _Letty complained_. "You left to get away from him, why are you guys always on the goddamn phone?"_

"See", Alyssa chuckled, "Ex-wife. We call and bitch about the kids and Letty complains", she said laughing.

"Oh, Christ", Dom laughed. "I'm gonna start calling you my ex-wifey", he teased as he went to the other bedroom to let Letty sleep before she tried to kill him.

"That's so fucked up", she muttered laughing.

"It's your week – come pick up the kids", he grumbled. "In fact, I think you should just take them for the next five years."

Alyssa coughed, "God, could you imagine?"

"They'd cause all kinds of trouble", Dom said gleefully.

"You wanna fork over all the bail out money when they get arrested for drunken debauchery?" she grumbled. "That's not exactly what I meant though."

"Nope, leave them to rot", he teased. "What'd you mean?"

"I'm sensing some animosity here, Dom", she said playfully. "Remember our road trip?" she prompted wrestling into a black tight-fitted t-shirt.

"The accidental one?" he grumbled. "Or the sanctioned on to Vegas?"

"You fell asleep – you had told me to keep driving!" Alyssa complained as she grabbed her sandals. She took Dom off speakerphone and picked up Riley and put her in bed to stay with Vince and shut the door quietly before heading back downstairs.

"You drove us to _Arizona_ before you woke me up and complained we were lost", Dominic pointed out exasperatedly.

"We _were_ lost!" she argued. "I didn't know we had left _California_! You knew I was directionally challenged and you _still_ went to sleep! That makes it your fault. And I meant Vegas, asshole", she laughed.

"Drunken proposal?" he laughed.

"Glad I said no _now,_ aren't ya?" Alyssa said smirking.

"You could have used your fake ID", he teased.

"Your dad would have seriously killed us", she said, still incredulous.

"Hell yes he would have", Dom agreed.

"You should _always_ stay away from Barry White impersonators", she said darkly as she searched for her keys in her purse and headed out the garage door. "You were so fucking drunk – and very lucky I didn't take you seriously. I _wasn't_ drunk that night", she sighed. "Thank god. You and Vince _definitely_ needed a babysitter."

"To answer your question, no. I _really_ couldn't imagine that", he admitted. "That would have been worse than any natural disaster on the planet."

"You know how I love being compared to a tornado", she muttered sarcastically, pulling her car carefully out of the empty two-car garage and then drove the three blocks like she was being chased by hell hounds.

"And to defend myself, I don't think I _actually_ proposed", he stated.

"No", Alyssa murmured amusedly, "what I _believe_ you slurred at me was something to the effect of, '_hey, 'Lyss, don't ya think it would be fun to tie the knot?'_" she muttered a half-assed impression. "You and Vince are _very_ eloquent when you're drunk", she said wryly.

"As opposed to any other time?" Dom laughed.

"Do _not_ propose to Letty like that", Alyssa said tersely. "I will kill you."

She heard him sigh, "How'd you know?"

Alyssa rolled her eyes as she pulled into the parking lot of the paint store, "Because I'm awesome like that – deal with it", she glowered. "And I saw the ring hiding in my nightstand drawer", she said softly.

Silence.

"Oh", he said finally. He cleared his throat, "I was going to ask her after all this crap got dealt with… but she's pregnant-"

Alyssa interrupted him, "First of all, I'm not even going to _ask_ what your crazy money-making scheme was going to be… mostly because – well, yikes", she muttered. "And _secondly_, I can't _believe_ you never talked to her about having a family. I've seriously yet to wrap my head around that. Those things require actual _conversations_, Dominic, it's not automatically understood", she complained.

"Yeah, I got that", he bitched.

"Don't get smart with me, buddy", she warned. "I'm trying to help your dumb ass."

"I am not completely helpless", he enunciated clearly, his tone aggravated.

"You're male", Alyssa said flatly.

"Forgive me if I don't take relationship advice from you", he said blandly. "Wasn't _I_ your longest relationship?"

She snarled something unintelligible and hung up on him, powering off her phone as she stalked into the store.


	18. Chapter 18

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. A/N: Filler chapter – but the next few are done, no worries. Review please!**

_**Chapter 17**_

Alyssa had nearly a wall and a half painted by the time Vince made his way back downstairs. She had moved all the furniture into the middle of the living room and had it all covered with giant white drop cloths. Large plastic squares taped lightly to the floor with more drop cloths covering _them_ all around the border of the room in an effort not to let anything happen to the flooring. The few pictures on the walls were taken down and she had spread them out on the kitchen counter tops. She had blue paint tape around all the molding, and she figured if there were no extraneous problems, the room might be done by tomorrow evening.

She had scoured through Nick's closet and stolen one of his grey work-out t-shirts to wear with a pair of her yoga pants, and while she was in his large closet, she had also stumbled across _her_ acoustic guitar. She had left it at his old apartment in Miami three years ago and she assumed it had disappeared. Alyssa sent him a strongly worded text message and he had called her back half an hour later telling her he had forgotten about it and to take it back with her. To which she had responded, "_Duh!_" and had hung up on him and brought it downstairs.

Riley was content in her basket chewing on her bone and sleeping on her stuffed toys in the kitchen – from her position she could see Alyssa and wasn't whining. Alyssa had turned off the air conditioning in favor of opening all the windows, allowing the hot breeze to come through the house in hopes that the walls would dry quickly so she could paint the second coat tomorrow morning. It was a dry heat as the sun beat down mercilessly at the peak of the afternoon, but she had long since pulled her hair off of her face and into a messy bun at the back of her neck as she painted.

"What the hell are you doing?" Vince asked raising an eyebrow at her.

She turned around slightly, once again perched on top of the giant indoor step-ladder she had snatched from the garage. "Turkey hunting", she said blandly. "What's it look like?"

"Looks like you're painting someone else's house is what it looks like", he said walking over to the ladder.

"Uh-huh", she murmured. "That's about right." Then she looked down at him and laughed lightly at the look on his face, "I'm allowed – I'm not just doing this randomly. This house belongs to a friend of mine. Repainting is just us keeping our track record of favors even."

"Man friend?" he asked knowingly. "Good to know you're keeping it clean", he muttered.

"None of your business", she sang lightly going back to her wall. "Hungry?" she asked pointlessly. "Give me five minutes to finish the top half and I'll call for take-out from a crappy pizza place down the street", she grinned. "You can sit down… somewhere", she gestured. "There's furniture under all the white. Actually, scratch that – grab my phone from the kitchen counter, will you? I'll order pizza now so I can finish this wall – then I'll take a break."

"I didn't know you brought your guitar", he said handing her phone; he had spotted it in the kitchen.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, still slightly annoyed. "I didn't. It got misplaced and ended up in Mexico without me", she grumbled. She called and ordered two large pizzas and slid the phone onto an empty space one the bookshelf built into the wall next to her.

Vince gave her a long-suffering sigh which she ignored, "I'm not gonna even ask", he muttered. "You mind?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

She didn't turn, just kept painting, "Nah, go ahead", she said. "Might need tuned though."

They spent the next fifteen minutes not talking. A companionable silence only possible between old friends – sometimes a silence can tell you a hell of a lot more than a whole conversation. Vince fiddled with her guitar, and she grinned absently as she painted – because, well, it sounded _awful_. He'd fix it momentarily, she knew. He had taught her to play. While Dom was in prison and their world felt like it was falling apart – and she'd fallen in love. With music, not Vince. She had always loved music because it made her _feel_. And being able to create her own, it was a priceless gift.

She was stepping off the ladder, now finished with the second wall, when the doorbell rang. Riley barked and attempted to hop out of the basket. Alyssa grimaced, knowing it wouldn't be long before she would be able to, and grabbed her wallet from her purse on the island and went to the door, Vince trailing behind her.

Alyssa stifled a laugh. Where there's food, there's Vince. She paid the pizza guy in cash after Vince reached around her and confiscated the pizzas, and then went back to the kitchen. She rolled her eyes at him for eating out of the box and grabbed a couple Coronas from the fridge and two plates from the cupboard. "Could we sit and eat like humans, please?" she teased, dragging him to the table in the dining room that she was sure was completely useless at any other time.

Alyssa snagged the Captain's chair out of habit, and Vince sat to her immediate right. She curled herself fully onto the chair, heels on the edge of the cushion and she propped her plate on her knee while she ate. She absorbed the silence like sunshine, knowing it would be gone as soon as Vince stopped inhaling food. Fifteen minutes and an empty box and a half of pizza later Vince finally spoke.

He pushed the empty plate towards the middle of the table and sat back in the chair, arms folded across his chest. "Wanna explain to me what the hell you're doing here?"

She took a drink and closed her eyes momentarily, tipping her head back against the back of the chair. "I think you can understand why I might need a few days to myself", Alyssa said finally, looking over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Since when do you run away from your problems?" he countered, leaning forward.

"Since _always_", she said mildly. "Have you met me? I'm not running away", she said flatly. "I'll be back on Thursday – I could hardly consider that running away."

"And yet, here you are – running away", Vince said, matching her tone.

"All I wanted was a few days away from everything before trying to clean up whatever the fuck mess you guys are in – which I'm certain they are withholding information from me about. And, you know what? Dom didn't take issue with it – so you don't get to either", she said quietly.

Vince raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, "I don't know if you've gotten smashed on the head recently, but when the hell has that been _our_ rule?"

"It's the rule when Dominic agrees with me", Alyssa monotoned.

"That's _bullshit_", he growled at her.

"Yeah, maybe. But it's mine and Dom's bullshit", she said tiredly. "You're just gonna have to let us figure all this out on our own."

"Not when it affects the rest of us! That's so fucking selfish", he said shaking his head.

"No", she refuted softly, "Selfish would be us getting everyone else involved in our problems. V, you have no idea what it's been like for me for the past few weeks being here. Do you know what it's like to feel like an outsider even though you're around people you consider family? It's like rewiring a stereo – sometimes you have to take everything apart before you can put it back together. This family's dynamic has changed over the years – and I wasn't a part of that. Any issues that Dom and I happen to currently have, need to be fixed before anything else can even get meddled with."

The look he gave her was one of pure aggravation. She just got up and started clearing off the table, putting things away. A few minutes later she stopped next to him, leaning against the table and sighed. "I don't know why you came, but I don't think I can give you the answers you're looking for", she said quietly. "Unless you're planning on killing me, I appreciate the sentiment – but you really didn't have to come after me. We're adults now", she continued carefully, "You don't have to protect me from Dominic either – not that you really ever did."

"The only thing I know is that anything that ends up in you leaving the house when you shouldn't never ends well", he said seriously.

Alyssa winced, "Point taken. This is _not_ like that, I promise. After all of this, I don't think I'll be able to keep away for too long at once ever again."

Vince gave her a look that said he only half-believed her, but would let it go for the time being. "Go on", he muttered, standing up and pushing her back towards the living room as he followed her, "Finish your painting. I'll fix your sad guitar."

Alyssa chuckled as she rearranged a few things and started in on the next wall, "Hasn't been played in ages."

"I can tell", Vince grumbled. She just snickered.

00

Alyssa woke up in the middle of the night slightly confused that Vince was next to her in bed – seeing as she distinctly remembered banishing him to the guest room. Alone means _alone_, after all. But he was stroking her hairline and murmuring in her ear, and it took her a minute to realize she was crying. She must have been having a nightmare, but she didn't remember it, which she found disconcerting considering she must have been loud enough to wake him up.

"It's okay", he was whispering. "Everything's fine." She vaguely remembered snippets of this happening when she was eighteen, and Dom was in prison. Her world had been turned upside down yet again, and to her, Vince was _safe_. She had taken a near-permanent nightly residence in his bed and had let him help keep her demons at bay.

She curled against his chest and let him talk her back to sleep, his voice soothing her into a state of calm.

00

The next morning she woke up cranky – like she always did after a bad night. She slept in later than she had wanted to. Alyssa had wanted to finish the living room today and have time to let it sit while she searched for something else to keep her busy – but it was eleven o'clock, she hadn't started the second coat, and she still wanted to kick Vince out today.

She sat on the steps of the back deck drinking coffee like it was her lifeline while she watched Riley run around the fenced in backyard. Vince sat on the step above her, clearly disgusted with her early morning beverage – he hated coffee unless he absolutely needed it. "You okay?" he asked after a minute.

"_Fabulous_", she snarled irritatedly.

He snickered. "Go back to bed, grouchy." He ruffled her hair.

"I have shit to do today", she stated pointedly.

"Sucks to be you then doesn't it", he laughed. He was one of the few who could handle her morning temper and come out unharmed.

Alyssa muttered obscenities under her breath. "Sorry for waking you up last night", she murmured finally.

"S'okay", he said shrugging. "I was only half-awake anyways."

She grinned then, shaking her head, "Good to know."

"Gonna be back in a few days?" he asked seriously.

She glanced over at him, "By Thursday", Alyssa nodded.

"Maybe I should head back then", he said nonchalantly.

Her face softened. "I know you don't like it, but I need this time", she said quietly.

"I still think it's fucking stupid", he said flatly.

"Yeah, I got that", she said mildly.

"If you're later than Thursday I'll kick your ass", he stated plainly standing up.

Alyssa stifled a laugh, "Sure you will. _Riley, come!_" she called as she stood up. The puppy came flying to her and Alyssa made her sit before she bent down and scratched her head and hooked her leash to walk back into the house. "What a good girl; you're so smart", she murmured.

Vince chuckled, "You're gonna end up spoiling her aren't ya?"

"Probably", Alyssa admitted with a wry grin as they walked into the house. "At least she'll have manners though."

"What, like yours?" he teased.

"I have manners", Alyssa protested.

"And just _where_ are your manners?" Vince asked pointedly.

Alyssa sighed, but played along, repeating the phrase that they had all nearly pissed themselves over when she had used it as a response to her history teacher asking that same question in high school. She had gotten sent to the principal's office. "Under the table", she said innocently. "I hated Mr. Mackie", she complained, "What an asshole. You _know_ he had it out for me", she said seriously.

Vince nodded, "He really did – that was the _only_ teacher that ever hated you."

"The feeling was mutual", she grumbled. "And my boyfriend had to pick me up from school because I got suspended for two days", Alyssa pouted. "Dom made fun of me the entire ride home."

"I was there when then principal called", Vince laughed. "Dom made Wexler tell him what you said when she told him you talked back to a teacher – because he didn't believe her. He was all serious until he hung up, and then he busted up laughing for like five minutes. He could barely tell me what happened."

"Yeah, well, when you ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer", she said shaking her head. "I could have said that I lost them, I never had any, I left them at home… infinite choices – he was a dick-weed."

Vince snickered. "Alright, I better burn rubber."

"I'll let Dom know', she said quietly as they headed for the front door. He grimaced and Alyssa laughed. "He already knows you're here", she pointed out. "I talked to him yesterday morning."

Vince raised an eyebrow, but she just shrugged. "C'mere", he muttered, tugging her into a side-hug. "No one would mind if you came back early", he suggested.

She just shook her head, "Nope, see you Thursday."

"Had to try", he shrugged.

"See you in a few days", she said letting him out the door. Alyssa waited until he pulled out of sight down the street before shutting the door and locking it again. She picked up Riley and took the leash back off, heading to the living room. "Come on", she murmured. "Keep Mommy company while she paints", she said as she put Riley in her basket and dragged her half-way into the living room where she was out of the way but Alyssa could still keep an eye on her.

00

Alyssa finished painting by six that evening and ate a few of the pieces of pizza for dinner before letting Riley out again and deciding to go upstairs to take a nap. She woke up around eleven-thirty that night and went downstairs and upon deciding that everything looked alright, proceeded to tear down the mess and put the living room back in the original order minus the wall hangings. Satisfied, she went to take a shower and fell back in bed and slept until nine the next morning.

When she got up again, she was in better spirits, but as she walked around she felt cabin fever set in, and suddenly she really didn't want to be there anymore. So she went back upstairs purposefully, stripped the bed and dumped everything into the washing machine, went to the kitchen to wash the few dirty dishes by hand and went through the house finding things to clean until the washer _dinged_. She transferred everything to the dryer and threw the guest room blankets in the washer and packed her bags, but left them in the bedroom. She remade her bed while the dryer was running for a second time and then jumped in the shower quickly before starting the small load of towels.

She made a salad for lunch, cleaning as she went along, remade the second bed. That was when it hit her where she wanted to go, and she planned to finish cleaning and take a long nap before heading out that night.

Alyssa scarfed down the rest of the pizza around midnight, re-hung the pictures on the walls, packed up her car, putting Riley in the front seat, and headed towards the highway starting for the opposite coast.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**_

_**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**_

_**Chapter 18**_

Alyssa took the interstate as a straight shot across Mexico, heading slightly south on her quest to the opposite coast heading towards Veracruz – she wasn't sure when she'd have another chance to buy good cigars. And damn it to hell, her nerves were about shot from all the drama. Not that driving through the mountains of Veracruz did anything to help her nerves – she _really _hated mountains. But she sucked it up until she got into Boca del Rio and finally found a supplier store. It was eight in the morning when she finally arrived, because she had left late the night before and only stopped every four hours to let Riley do her business, and she was exhausted, but it was worth it.

She sighed with pleasure. _Nothing_ compared to the scent of Aromas de San Andres cigars. She'd even go so far as to say they were better than sex – but she was sure voicing that idea would doom her already non-existent sex life for eternity. And she wasn't sure these cigars were worth _that_ much, along with what she had spent on the two cartons money-wise. But the scowl on Letty's face _might_ be worth it. Letty couldn't stand the smell – and she really hated when Dom smoked _anything_. But Alyssa owed him one, and truth be told, she liked spoiling him occasionally.

She amped up on caffeine and doubled back the way she came. She drove most of the day, heading north-west. Alyssa glared at the sign for Chihuahua and stubbornly passed it with bleary eyes. She wouldn't stay in a city named after a dog – never mind that it was a completely irrational thought. She finally stopped for the night in Buena Aventura – a little more than half-way to Ensenada.

When she got to the winery in Santo Tomas, about forty-five kilometers from the outskirts of Ensenada, the next morning, Alyssa was more than tempted to plan to stay for a few days, but she valued her life – so she only booked one night at a nearby hotel. The next morning, she spent several hours looking at vintage wines and came away with six bottles – which cost more than four pairs of Gucci shoes, but she was quite content with herself. She grabbed a quick bite to eat at a gyro stand and scooted her ass back to the car for the lengthy to drive back to Dom's. He was still going to kill her.

Alyssa didn't pull into Dominic's driveway until after ten that night, and she had taken several of her last hours to prepare herself for the fireworks. She had left her phone off purposefully, because they were still probably secretly tracking her car, and she didn't want to explain herself to any of them as to why she was trekking through Mexico. She grabbed her one suit case from the backseat, Riley still in her basket from the front, and carried them up the porch and walked cautiously into the house.

Silence.

"Oh, shit", she muttered. The kitchen light was off, and the living room was empty. "Guys?" she called, listening carefully for noise or footsteps. Nothing. Okay, now she was a bit freaked out. She dropped her bag, and took Riley out of her basket, carrying her tucked under her arm, "Where do you thing they all went?" Alyssa muttered, nuzzling her nose. She headed towards the basement door, opening it slowly, and let out a sigh of relief to hear the television.

She flicked the light switch at the top of the stairs on and off rapidly. "What the fuck?" Vince complained.

"Why are you all hiding?" she called as she came down the stairs and stepped into sight.

"Jesus Christ, it took you long enough!" Leon grumbled standing up. "What the hell were you driving all over Mexico for?"

"Why the hell were you guys spying on me?" Alyssa returned flatly, raising an eyebrow. "Not cool – seriously."

"It was Mia's idea", Leon tattled pointing to the long haired brunette in question. Rome snickered at the look on Alyssa's face – it meant ass-kicking was imminent. Anna studied the television screen intent on ignoring the impending argument. Brian had told them not to do it in the first place.

Mia stuttered incomprehensibly for a minute before getting her bearings, "Fine, my idea", she admitted.

Alyssa shook her head in annoyance, "You really think I would take off _again_, without warning - or the rest of my _clothes_? Thanks for the vote of confidence", she stated sarcastically. "I'm _not_ that much of a bitch."

"Ali, come on, it wasn't-"

"Mia, I really don't want to hear it right now", Alyssa said tightly. "Just for _once_ in our lives, it would be _awesome_ for all of us to act our ages", she snarled. "Where's Dom and Letty?" she asked after a minute of silence, looking around and realizing that they were the only ones missing.

"Letty's upstairs asleep", Jesse offered immediately. That was the safe answer.

"Dominic?" Alyssa asked pointedly.

"On the back porch – getting drunk", Brian said flatly.

"And you're all sitting down here hiding from him _why_?" Alyssa snapped, glaring. "What the fuck is going on?"

"You're late", Vince pointed out.

"Don't expect me to actually believe he's put out about that", Alyssa warned. "I told him what day I would be home, not what time."

"Your phone's been off for two days", Vince growled. "He's been having a shit fit."

"Bullshit!" she snapped, "If there was a serious issue someone could have emailed me. And you guys were going to do what? Leave him on the porch? Did any of you actually try to get him to go to bed?" she asked seriously. Alyssa didn't wait for an answer, she knew what it was. "This is the whole _fucking problem_", she growled. "You guys are all to chicken to tell him to _do_ anything! He's not god! Give him a goddamn break! And none of you _ever_ again get to pull this shit like you have all week – you seriously think he didn't _tell_ me? It's really shitty that you blame him for my actions… I'm an adult. You don't have to like it, but you sure as hell have to respect my decisions. Not everything is up for a vote. Get over it!"

There was a stunned silence.

She shook her head tiredly. "You guys give me a headache", she said quietly. She threw Brian the keys to her car. Alyssa looked between Leon and Vince, "Can you two idiots get the shit out of my trunk and put it in my room? Brian, pull the car into the garage when they're done, please?" She went and sat Riley next to Jesse and Mia, "Watch the dog for me. I'm gonna go talk to Dom. I don't know how he does it", she muttered. "I love you all, but you guys are so fucking exhausting sometimes. You're all _so_ grounded, by the way", she finished flatly.

She didn't wait for them to respond, just ran lightly up the stairs. Alyssa headed through the kitchen and opened the door to the back porch. She could see Dom's big shadow in the moonlight through the window and sighed. She opened the door slowly, allowing the creak but caught it before it slammed behind her.

He didn't move; gave no indication that he even registered her presence until she walked over and stopped to crouch down in front of him where he was sitting in the middle of the cushioned outside bench. "Dominic", she said quietly. "What are you doing?" There was an empty six pack of Coronas sitting the side of the porch, a few bottles rolling gently back and forth. But she sighed exasperatedly at the half-empty bottle of whiskey in his hand. Alyssa groaned internally. Whiskey made him unpredictable – and suddenly she couldn't blame anyone else for leaving him be, since Letty was asleep.

"Nice of you to grace us with your presence", he rumbled. She snatched the bottle from his precarious grip and moved to set on a table several feet out of his reach, but she didn't count on him following her action. He stood up swiftly, and only the darkness in his eyes belied his drunken state – and the pain he usually kept hidden. She knew this was nothing to do with her, but she had put the ball into play, and she couldn't feel better for it. She had voiced his guilt for him, and hadn't been near enough to stop the spiral from happening.

Her stomach clenched, roiling without her explicit permission. She flattened her right palm against his chest, "Sit back down", she said softly, searching his face in the darkness with her eyes. "You've had enough of this – of everything. Don't make me fight you for it; I'm too tired."

He sat back down, but she knew it had little to do with her request, his own exhaustion picking his battles for him. Alyssa went and dumped the whiskey, emptying it into the grass near the porch and then set the bottle carefully into an empty garbage can before collecting the rest of the scattered bottles and putting them in the garbage too. He was watching her, she knew – she could feel his gaze burning into her and she fought to remain calm. A week away had done wonders for her, finally allowing her the room for some perspective, but this was different kind of tension.

He would _never_ lay a hand on her, but she still dreaded trying to reason with him when he was drunk. Anger that he fought so hard to keep in check when he was sober, became explosive under the persuasion of alcohol. Even a drunken _murderous_ Vince couldn't match Dom's drunken anger – and she was suddenly wishing she had at least checked her messages over the last two days. If he was going to turn this into something regarding her, she'd at least like to have some idea what he thought she had done.

Her back was still to him, she was internally struggling – she had no idea what to do. Alyssa heard the front door slam and a few minutes later it slammed again, and she watched as her car pulled back into the garage and the door shut. She almost laughed when she saw Brian walk up the yard a few minutes later and decided to bypass the porch completely, in favor of walking all the way around the house to go in through the front door, not wanting to run into Dom – who hadn't moved in five minutes.

Alyssa rolled her eyes in annoyance. Brian was probably being smart though. In this state, Dominic may have punched him in the face for nark-ing on them six years ago if he could actually stand long enough. Prior offenses were _un-forgiven_ when he was drunk. She waited another minute until she was certain everyone else was inside before turning around to face the large, brooding man behind her.

She found his dark eyes, black in the moonlight, and she fought to keep her face blank as he stared silently back at her. He could still read her in his inebriated state, but she could read him better. The pain she saw in his eyes absolutely _wrecked_ her. But she didn't look away, just let the pain reflect back to him, and hoped he didn't misinterpret it as pity.

An old habit had her walking forward, almost floating towards him, an essence of calm overtaking her as she stopped in between his legs, her shins touching the bench. She knew it couldn't possibly be so easy, but she followed the little prompter guy in her head anyways until she was straddling his lap, knees on the cushions on either side of his thighs – thankful she was wearing jeans and not the skirt she had changed out of earlier when the air had chilled.

She let her hands rest on his upper arms for a semblance of balance and she dropped her forehead to his left shoulder, but other than that, there was no body contact. Alyssa could feel the tension in his body, his muscles buzzing with heaving emotion – anger, guilt, and frustration at the forefront. "Why are you sitting out here drinking like the world is going to end?" she murmured. Tomorrow morning she might be the only one finding pleasure in irritating the shit out of him while he suffered from a massive hangover until he threatened her with the five-second rule – meaning that she had five seconds to get out of his face before he caught her and _literally_ beat her ass – but tonight, he was _really_ hurting, and she just wanted to fix it.

Tomorrow she would pray she still had quick reflexes. Threats for an ass whooping from him were serious – either that or the guys got a good punch in the face. That was mostly directed at Vince or Brian – both had deserved it at times. Dom had never punched Leon or Jesse. He wouldn't touch Jesse – even if he did something stupid, Dom really would never get mad at him. In regards to the rest of them, Jesse could just cute himself out of anything. As for Mia and Alyssa… they really liked being able to sit.

"You're right", Dominic spoke for the first time since she had come out. "I've had enough of everything."

"Of what?" she prompted gently. His hands were motionless at his sides. He wasn't touching her at all, and she wondered how long it would be before that changed. Letty was right in a way – they'd always found a certain amount of comfort in each other's presence. Touching was just part of the normal progression.

"All the day to day bullshit", he said flatly. "I've just about had enough of it."

Alyssa sighed and leaned back so she could see him, "You mean life in general?" she asked wryly, raising an eyebrow. She slid her hands up his arms and settled them on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her. "I hate to break it to you, big guy, but life's not going anywhere. And neither are you", she said sternly. "And you need to quit this fucking 'drink your problems away' bullshit. I know just as well as you do that it doesn't really work. Your life doesn't suck, Dom; I wish you could see that. But I know you just feel trapped", she said quietly.

"You're just as fucking trapped as I am", he snapped at her irritatedly.

_Ah, here comes the belligerent six year-old attitude_, she thought. "Am I?" she questioned. "Why am I trapped?" She wanted to yell at him for turning everything around, but that would do neither of them any good.

"You're so fucking trapped you can't even tell", he growled. "I know you're not happy – I can see it in your eyes."

He was right, she knew, and she couldn't even blame it on him – as much as missing all of them killed her on a daily basis. "And you know what I see in yours?" she asked, fighting back the tears pricking behind her eyes. "The guilt, the regret – it makes my heart _ache_", she choked out. "I don't know how you carry that around with you every day." She had grieved over her loss of him while she was gone, and now she was crying for him – his pain that he never let anyone see.

His hands found her then, pulling her into his crushing grip. He hadn't held her this tightly since his father was killed. She collapsed against him, arms circling his neck as sobs wrenched from her body. After a minute or so, she realized that if she didn't knock it off, the entire household would be on the back porch thinking he was trying to murder her, so Alyssa tried to get ahold of her emotions, mildly disgusted with herself. "It's okay", Dom muttered in her ear.

"No, this is just fucking _perfect_", she grumbled tearily into his shoulder. "You're drunk off your ass and I'm the one crying on _you_."

He snorted, "You're right, cut that shit out", he teased. "I was wondering where you went", Dom said seriously after a minute.

"I told you I'd be back today-"

"Not that. I mean this – here. Your soft heart", he murmured.

"I'm trying to _stop_ crying, thanks, Dominic. Take that back", she muttered. "I yelled at the kids", she said after a few deep breaths. "They're all grounded."

He chuckled quietly, "Without me?" He wasn't overly-sober – not really anywhere _near_ the vicinity of sober, but the relative calm in the conversation relaxed her slightly.

"Not done with them yet", Alyssa muttered. "You can have a turn tomorrow – when you're not hung-over. I got your present", she said smiling softly, finally looking up at him. "I told you I'd make it up to you…"

He swiped a few stray tears off her face, "What is it?"

"Something to piss off Letty", Alyssa admitted.

His eyes widened in realization, "You didn't", he said incredulously.

"Hell yes I did", she agreed. "A carton for you and one for me", she snickered.

He squeezed her tighter until she squeaked, "Oh, you're awesome", he laughed.

"Awesome and can't breathe", she gasped. He chuckled and let her go slightly. "Fucking hell, you're like a boa constrictor", she muttered. She sat back then, settling on his lap, still serious. "You know", she said flatly, "I didn't listen to you for the one and only time in my life just for you to become an annoying, irrational, drunk bastard." She thunked him on the forehead with her middle finger, "Seriously."

He swatted her hand away, "Bitch", he grumbled. They'd seen that episode of _Everybody Loves Raymond_ years ago, and he had promptly told her she was like a flick on the nose to him. She had smacked him in the face with a pillow for comparing him to Marie – pointing out that she did _not_ meddle in shit that wasn't her business. Then she flicked him on the nose.

"What happened today?" she asked quietly.

"You were right the other day – when I hung up on you", he said finally.

She groaned, "Please tell me you haven't been mulling that over all week."

"No", Dom said, "Just the past day or two. I was just pissed at you until you called me the next day and you hung up on _me_… I realized you were right."

"You were right then, too", Alyssa said with a sigh. "What's with tonight then?" she asked pointedly. "I don't understand why you think you don't deserve to be happy right now."

"After everything you know I've done, you think I do?" he asked flatly.

"_Yes_", she hissed painfully, "Jesus, Dominic. Your self-inflicted guilt was always more of a punishment than any prison sentence. And now… god, I'm begging you to let it go – all of it."

"Including you?" he asked after a minute.

Her heart stopped. When she spoke, her voice was strangled. She knew better than to assume anything – he never said things the way he meant to when he was drunk. "That really depends", she said slowly, "on what you mean by that. I can't stay here forever… but when I leave, it won't be like before."

"I owe you an apology", he said finally.

She shook her head immediately, "Please don't-"

"What I said that day, I know you know I didn't mean it, but-" she clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Dom, seriously, don't", Alyssa said seriously. "I know you think you broke me that day, but you really didn't. It may have taken me until last week to figure that out, but you did the right thing – maybe the wrong way, but don't apologize for it. My being generally unhappy with my life has very little to do with your decision that day. Just like I told all those morons downstairs, the decisions I make are _not_ your fault. And their shitty decisions aren't your fault either. We all need to start taking responsibility for our own actions. I've never blamed my stupid decisions on you", she sighed, suddenly exhausted, "And just so you know, that statement is for future reference", she muttered.

He tugged her forward and pressed a kiss against her mouth. She allowed the action momentarily before tugging away with a slight laugh, "Oh, you're still _really_ drunk", she said exasperatedly, shaking her head. Alyssa climbed off his lap rolling her eyes at the stupid grin on his face. He had just wanted her to shut up. She rubbed at her face in amusement, "You need a shave – and a shower. And to brush your teeth – your mouth tastes like you took a liquor bath." She held out her hands, "Up for climbing the stairs?" she questioned amusedly.

He grabbed her hands and she tugged him upwards lightly. "How many?" he muttered.

"Third floor, bud", she said shaking her head, "Come on. You need some sleep in your own bed tonight."

He went passively up the stairs after she snagged two water bottles from the fridge, demanding that he drank one, and she was grateful for his balance, because she really didn't feel like falling down the stairs backwards and then being flattened. Alyssa was massively annoyed that the rest of them were still dicking off downstairs, but she was too tired to deal with them anymore tonight. She shoved Dominic into the bathroom upstairs, muttering, "In case you took me literally – don't try to shave until tomorrow, please. I'd really rather not take a trip to the emergency room tonight because of a drunken shaving incident."

He laughed and nodded, and told her to either join him or get out. She left and he shut the door. She went back to her room across the hall and sat down on the bed and gulped half the contents of her water before changing into a tank top and shorts to sleep in before padding across the hall to check on Letty.

"Dom?" Letty questioned, still half-asleep as the door opened quietly.

"Boogey-man", Alyssa countered playfully, shutting the door before going and stretching out on the bed. "Dom's in the shower", she offered as Dom's puppy climbed over Letty and nibbled at her hand. Alyssa scratched his head.

"You just get back?" Letty murmured glancing at the clock before turning on her side and propping her head on a hand.

"A little while ago", Alyssa said quietly. "How you doing, mama?" she grinned.

"I went to bed at nine o'clock", Letty said flatly.

Alyssa coughed out a laugh, "Sorry, party animal – your days are numbered." There was a _thump_ from the bathroom and a muffled curse. Alyssa smothered a laugh with the back of her hand.

"What the hell's he doing in there?" Letty grumbled sitting up.

"Dumbass probably fell over – or dropped something on his foot", Alyssa said rolling her eyes. "He's drunk", she said flatly, answering Letty's questioning glance.

"Oh, Christ, _why_?" Letty whined falling back on the bed.

"Just be glad I didn't leave him on the porch like everyone else was going to", she muttered shaking his head. "And if he wants to maul you when he comes to bed… please just let him and don't send him to bother me", Alyssa grumbled. "He'll probably pass out anyways."

Letty chuckled, "He got handsy, huh?" she questioned.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "No, you can thank me for telling him to brush his teeth, though – sheesh. He just wanted me to stop talking", she grumbled.

Letty made a noise of annoyance, "Is he pissed?"

Alyssa stretched her hands over her head, flattening them against the headboard, "No", she said honestly. "Just sad I think", she said quietly. "Drank a six pack and was half-way through a bottle of whiskey before I went out there and took it from him. Everyone else is still hiding in the basement", she growled. "You and Jesse might want to be gone tomorrow", she suggested softly.

"He's gonna kick everyone's asses, isn't he?" Letty complained. "I warned them all to drop it after Vince got back – I can't believe he did that, by the way."

Alyssa sighed, "I can. Remember what it was like when Dom was in prison? Vince stepped up to the plate – more than either of us thought he would… and he's always been the first to defend any of us."

"You're right about that", Letty said quietly.

"And I fully intend to bother him by pouncing on him in the morning while he has an awful headache", Alyssa grinned. "It'll serve him right – and I can bribe him with aspirin."

Letty rolled her eyes, "Yeah, we'll be gone by then", she said immediately. "I don't want to watch him kill you."

"He makes me worry about him – I don't like that", Alyssa said flatly.

"Yeah", Letty muttered, "I don't like that either. Do you think I'm being stupid?" she asked after a minute.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow, "You'll have to be more specific."

"You know that I have no problem fighting with him when it involves us, but there's some shit that I'd really rather let you deal with when it comes to him now that you're here", Letty said in an undertone.

"You're the one who has to sleep with him at the end of the day", Alyssa said with a shrug. "You know when to pick your battles – there's nothing wrong with that. You're my sister", she said quietly, "I trust you enough that I know you'd tell me if you thought I was over-stepping any boundaries. Besides", she muttered under her breath, "it's not like I have much room to talk right now anyways."

"Yup, I would", Letty said seriously. "And I trust you not to. I wouldn't have left him down there if I knew he was gonna get shit-faced", she said rolling her eyes.

Alyssa just shook her head, "He would have just waited 'til you fell asleep", she pointed out. "I can't betray his trust – especially since I don't know what he'll remember in the morning – but everything's gonna be okay", she said quietly. "He loves you so much more than you even realize – he's just trying to wrap his head around the fact that it's okay to embrace this new part of his life. You both deserve to be happy."

The door opened and let the moonlight from the hallway filter into the room, only partially blocked by Dom's giant shadow. "I didn't know it was threesome night", he rumbled, arching an eyebrow.

"I didn't know it was 'drink until you can't stand in the shower night'", Alyssa countered flatly before Letty could make a proactive comment.

"I told you to join me", he pointed out. Letty chuckled.

"And my other option was to get out", Alyssa reminded. "Which is what I'm going to do now", she grumbled standing up as he walked over to the bed. "Night baby", she murmured at Letty's stomach.

"Aww, are you sure you don't want to join play time?" Letty teased.

"Fuck you, Let", Alyssa snarled. "I got him up here; you can damn well put him in bed. I'll take the dog though so you don't traumatize him – Jesse has mine", she said crawling across the bed after the puppy who was now fully awake. And then she was flipped over and pinned to the bed, head at the foot, all the air being knocked out of her. She lay complacently as her head spun – equilibrium completely off because of exhaustion. "Are you fucking serious? Why do we all have quick reflexes when we're drunk?" she asked incredulously.

"You just gonna stay there?" Dom laughed.

"Letty, goddammit, get him off me", Alyssa snapped, "Unless you want me to fall asleep right this second. I'm too fucking tired for this shit right now. Just because you've suddenly got your second wind doesn't mean you can inflict it on me", she said looking up slightly at Dominic. "You've got eighty pounds of muscle on me, and I could give a rat's ass if I fall asleep like this. Either get off or hand me a pillow and shut up."

"You could seriously sleep like that?" Letty laughed, crawling over to them. "He's ginormous."

"Sleep, be smothered, what's the difference?" Alyssa muttered.

"A funeral", Letty said immediately, grinning.

"I've been awake for twenty-six straight hours; trust me, there's no difference", Alyssa pointed out. And then the puppy stuck its tongue in her ear. She shrieked, trying to turn her head, but it followed, nipping at her neck until Letty rescued her, laughing her ass off. Dom was no help, his full weight pressed down on her as he laughed. Alyssa turned her head to rub the slobber off of her and onto the blanket. "Eww, I hate you guys", she whined, effectively cutting herself off by a giant yawn. She strained her neck to bite his shoulder, "Get off so I can go to bed", she pleaded.

"Sleepover", Letty demanded suddenly.

"Aw, fuck no", Alyssa grumbled incredulously. "I have my own giant _empty_ bed across the hall. Never mind that it's totally inappropriate."

"Oh, come on – we haven't done this since we before we met Brian and we got totally shit-faced in Dom's room and none of us could move", Letty pleaded.

"Yeah, _that_ was healthy", Alyssa said sarcastically. She sighed, "Dom, you gonna put your vote in?"

"I'm Switzerland", he muttered.

"You're on top of me", she said flatly, "Vote or get off."

"I don't have to do either unless you can move me", he laughed. "Ex-wife", he teased, "I don't listen to you."

Letty laughed aloud, "That has got to be the best thing I've ever heard", she admitted. "It's settled then – I win."

"No one agreed on that", Alyssa argued.

"If I got off of you, could you walk to your room?" Dom offered grinning.

Alyssa whined, "Aw, shit, probably not until I could feel my legs – you're seriously cutting off my circulation. You could carry me", she suggested pleadingly.

"Not happening", he laughed.

"You're still that drunk?" she asked exasperatedly.

"You'd fall on your head", he nodded.

Letty snickered, "Looks like you're _stuck_", she declared gleefully.

"I hate both of you immensely", Alyssa snarled. "And for the record, I don't believe you", she glared at Dom. "How the hell did you tackle me?"

"No, you don't hate us at all", Letty refuted grinning. "We are the frosting on your cupcake."

"You _have_ been having crazy dreams, haven't you?" Alyssa accused.

"Maybe", Letty admitted reluctantly.

Alyssa laughed. She looked up at Dom, "Saturday? Beach? Please? Me, you, Letty, and Jesse – and the dogs? Everyone else will be dead by then", she pleaded.

He climbed off of her finally, laughing, "I already agreed to this, didn't I?" he reminded.

"Yeah, but – _oh_, I'm having an out of body experience", she whined. "I can't feel anything."

"We're going to the beach?" Letty raised her eyebrows. She reached over and poked Alyssa in the ribs.

"Yes – and stop that", she muttered, half-heartedly trying to smack Letty's hand away. "Dominic, could you, oh, I dunno, _help_?" Alyssa demanded holding her hands up slightly. He pulled her into a sitting position and she sucked in a deep, painful breath. "I think you crushed my diaphragm", she complained holding her stomach.

Dom just raised an eyebrow, smirking at her.

She rolled her eyes, "That's _not_ just a contraceptive – I know you took health class."

Letty laughed, "_That's_ how he knows it's a form of birth-control", she pointed out. "You don't use one of those awful things do you?"

"Ick, hell no", Alyssa grumbled moving slowly and finally flopping down on the bed between them. "Those things freak me out. It's like having an intruder in your house."

Dom muffled a laugh laying down, his face in a pillow. "Never heard that one before", he muttered.

"Oh, shut up", Alyssa scolded. Then she whimpered, pins and needles pricking at her legs finally. Her legs twitched involuntarily.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dom grumbled.

She kicked him and promptly yelped. "My legs are _asleep_", she whined, "_Pain_."

He pried an eye open and looked her direction, "You look like you have to pee", he teased.

"Oh, my god", she hissed suddenly, "I did _not_ know _that_ could fall asleep."

Letty dive-bombed onto her, face against Alyssa's shoulder laughing, "You poor thing", she tried to sound sincere but the laughing ruined it.

Alyssa glared at Dominic, "You. On me? Never again", she growled. "Someone make it stop", she pleaded fruitlessly.

Dominic had a convenient coughing fit. He poked her leg. She kicked him in the thigh with her heel hard enough to give him a Charlie horse while he was laughing too hard to pay attention. "Ow! Bitch!" he snarled at her.

"You're an asshole", she hissed back.

"Don't make me separate the two of you", Letty monotoned. "Seriously, Alyssa?" she asked with a grimace, "Why are you always in the middle of shit?"

"Innocent bystander", she defended. "He's torturing me on purpose – retaliation is the only course of action."

"If I turn the light off, can the two of you keep your various appendages to yourselves?" Letty demanded exasperatedly.

"I can", Alyssa muttered turning onto her side, facing towards Letty, "Dom's the one who likes to share in his sleep." Letty snickered and Alyssa shrieked at the snap of the waist band of her shorts against her back. She rolled back over, "You're awfully annoying for being so drunk", she said pointedly.

"And you're awfully frisky for being up for twenty-six hours straight", Dominic returned raising an eyebrow at her.

"Overly tired", she sang.

"Quick, smother her when she's not looking", Dom joked.

"Letty, can I please go back to my own bed?" Alyssa whined.

"Nope", Letty said turning the light off. "Get comfortable and shut the hell up."

"Great sleepover rules", Dom grumbled playfully.

Alyssa giggled suddenly and didn't stop until Dominic shook her by the waist. "There were _three_ in the bed and the little one said 'roll over, roll over'", she sang, voice shaking with laughter. "So they all rolled over and Dom fell off-" she was cut off by a pillow smacking her in the face and Letty laughing hysterically.

"Don't even try to knock me off the bed", he warned laughing. "I'll take you with me."


	20. Chapter 20

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 19**_

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill whoever just took a picture", Alyssa muttered, face down in her pillow as a bright flash woke her up. She glanced to the right and saw that Letty was missing. "Letty, once I untangle myself from your octopus-man I'm gonna hurt you", she warned. "I can't move", she grumbled.

"He's like a giant teddy bear when he's sleeping", Letty chuckled, bouncing back onto the bed.

Alyssa snorted, "Trust me, I'm aware." She pried his arms from their tight grip around her waist carefully, even though she knew he wouldn't wake up, and slid her legs out from between his. "Geez, he has a vice-grip when he's sleeping", Alyssa said incredulously as she moved at sat next to Letty, both of them resting against the headboard.

"You look like _you're_ hung-over", Letty laughed.

"Feels like it – I'm fucking exhausted. It's a good thing your bed is king-sized though, or else we all would have been awake all night", Alyssa said under her breath running a hand through her messed up hair. "Ya know, last night, I wasn't trying to kick you out today. You're more than welcome to stay and help us yell at everyone."

Letty snickered, "No, I know – trust me. I'd rather not, thanks. Besides, it's fun hangin' out with Jesse."

"I'm gonna let Rome and Anna get outta here today to", Alyssa said. "They can go exploring, and I trust _Anna_ with my car."

"Not Rome?" Letty asked with a chuckle.

Alyssa shook her head, "Hell no. Not even under penalty of death – he doesn't take me seriously enough for that."

Letty snickered, "Him and Brian crack me up", she said after a minute.

Alyssa shook with barely restrained laughter, "I know exactly what you mean. They act like twelve year-olds. Did he sneak in any embarrassing stories about me while I've been gone?" she asked reluctantly.

Letty raised an eyebrow, "Not that I know of… why? God, what did you do?" she laughed.

"My drunken self has no discretion – something you know damn well", Alyssa muttered. "I _may_ have tried to accost his person one night on the beach – in front of Brian and Anna."

"May have?" Letty asked pointedly.

"Well", Alyssa coughed, "I say _may have_ because Brian picked me up and dumped me in the ocean." She scowled, "It was the middle of the night and _freezing_. Florida or not you don't swim in the ocean at night – I was only pissed because I didn't want to get eaten by a shark – I was drunk and not quite rational."

Letty laughed, "Didn't hear that story."

"Shocking", Alyssa said seriously, "They all like to tease me about it – that was the drunken Miami story they wanted me to tell the other night when we were reliving our worst hangovers. I stick to the fact that I warned them all before we opened the bottle. Besides", she snickered, "he really wasn't complaining."

"I'd imagine not", Letty chuckled.

"At least not until Brian interrupted my suggestion for a lap dance and dumped me in the water to 'cool off', as how he put it", Alyssa shook her head.

"Ooh, bummer for him", Letty sighed.

"You would know." Alyssa laughed. "Truth or Dare?" she reminded amusedly. "You ever tell Dom about that? I know I didn't", she grinned.

Letty tilted her head, "No, I don't think I did", she said incredulously. She peered across the bed where Dominic was still asleep. "I still can't believe Vince dared you to do that."

"To you at least, it wasn't a big deal", Alyssa said good-naturedly. "I couldn't have done it to Mia."

"Should I be offended by that statement?" Letty asked playfully.

"No, I think Mia would have been embarrassed in front of the guys", Alyssa said. "At least back then – now, she's probably immune to all of our craziness."

Letty smirked, "She'd have to be – or else she would have run away screaming years ago."

"True, although I doubt even now she would stick a five in my bra like you did", Alyssa nodded, laughing amusedly. "Eighteen and nineteen – god, we were insane", she said. "What time is it?" she peered around Letty. "_Ten-thirty_", she whined dropping her head onto Letty's shoulder. "I wanna go back to sleep. Bitch, you woke me up", she accused.

Letty laughed, "Sorry", she said unapologetically, "but that's going in the photo album."

Alyssa glared up at her and pulled herself back into an upright position. "Puppies downstairs?" she questioned.

"You're gonna have a hard time getting yours from Vince when you leave", Letty pointed out quietly.

"I know", Alyssa sighed. "Who'da thought he'd be the dog lover?"

"Not me", Letty shook her head. "Well, to be fair, I don't know that he'll let you leave either."

"Yeah, I'm getting that", Alyssa muttered. "Are the rest of them awake?"

"Yup, all the way in the basement", she said, shaking her head incredulously.

"They think I forgot that I threatened them all with personal harm?" Alyssa wondered, "Yeah, right."

"Out of sight, out of mind", Letty suggested.

_Loud snore_. Alyssa snickered looking over at Dominic. "He'll be awake soon."

"That's still his weirdest habit", Letty said. "Who snores right before they wake up?"

Alyssa grinned, holding her fingers to her lips and crawled over and sat on his back Indian-style facing Letty who was giving her a strange look. "_Shh_", she insisted. Letty just drew her legs to her chest skeptically, resting her chin on top of her knee.

"Who's sitting on me?" Dom grumbled a minute later.

"Not me", Letty snickered.

"Well, I sure hope it's not my sister doing Kegel exercises on my back", he said pointedly.

"Pink Care Bear", Alyssa laughed. "And I am _not_ doing that!"

He rolled away from the side of the bed and she yelped as she fell off of him. Dom ended up lying across her back and Letty nearly fell off the bed completely. "You need to gain like ten pounds", Dominic muttered in her ear.

"I do not", Alyssa grumbled. "I'm in _shape_. Besides, you never tell a woman she needs to _gain_-" she cut herself off and froze. "_Jesus Christ!_ Dominic, that is _not_ family-friendly", she shrieked suddenly.

Letty cackled, "Gotta love morning humor."

"Is that what ya'll are calling it now?" Alyssa questioned dryly.

He bit her ear playfully, "Well, good morning to you too", he teased. Then he rolled off of her and she scrambled off the bed.

"Letty… Please, do something about that", Alyssa said with a grimace. "I need a shower", she whined running out of the bedroom.

"I'm surprised she even knew what it was", Dominic laughed. "I hear it's been a while", he called loudly.

Letty tackled him onto the bed, "Ya know, I think I could use a refresher course myself", she said grinning down at him playfully.

Dominic grinned up at her, "Yeah?" he questioned. "I think I could handle that."

"Oh, fuck you guys", Alyssa called from against the hall, walking towards the bedroom with her eyes half-covered.

"We were just about to do that", Dom pointed out irritatedly as his mouth found Letty's neck.

"I hear orgasms are a good cure for a hangover", Alyssa pointed out, "Have fun with that – I'm just shutting your door. I'd rather not be nauseous this morning." She shut the door and headed towards the bathroom calling aggravatedly, "The next time I get a man's morning hard-on against my back, he'd better damn well be able to use it on me!" She ignored the laughter that followed her as she slammed the bathroom door and went for the shower.

00

After her shower, Alyssa dried her hair and dressed quickly in a dark pink tank top and dark-wash, low-rider jeans before heading downstairs, not wanting to hear the noises from across the hall. She ate a few pieces of toast for breakfast and trotted down the basement steps. She shook her head in mild disgust at the chips Vince was eating for breakfast as Leon and Jesse played video games. "I hope you don't think I'm feeding you all today", she said flatly folding her arms across her chest. The three of them were sharing the longest couch, Brian and Mia were sharing an over-sized chair, and Anna and Rome were seated on opposite ends of the smaller couch.

The screen on the television paused almost immediately. "Hey, baby girl", Leon said cautiously.

She nodded lightly, "Leon."

"Where's Dom?" Brian asked.

Alyssa smirked, "Gettin' laid", she said nonchalantly.

"Sorry I asked", Brian muttered rolling his eyes.

"Me too", Mia grumbled making a face.

"He'll be down… when he's down I guess", she continued, mouth twitching.

Brian chucked a pillow at her and she caught it raising an eyebrow. She threw it and hit Vince on the head. "What the fuck's that for?" he demanded.

"Quit eating chips for breakfast", she said pointedly. "How fucking hard is it to pour some cereal in a bowl? Or god forbid, eat _fruit_", she said raising an eyebrow.

He snarled something under his breath that she didn't catch and got off the couch and stomped upstairs. She quirked a smile at Brian, "Thanks for the ammo", she laughed.

Brian grimaced, "I regretted it when you caught it. Thought you were gonna come over here and do some damage."

Alyssa just winked, "Maybe later." She went a sat on the arm of couch by Anna and leaned over to speak quietly, "Trust me when I say neither of you are gonna want to stick around today", she murmured, "It's gonna be super fucking loud – hell, I'd rather not be here today either", she chuckled. "Why don't you two see what kind of trouble you can inflict on Mexico – as long as it doesn't end in me having to bail anyone out of jail", she said seriously.

"How exactly?" Anna asked pointedly.

Alyssa smirked over at Rome who was listening to the exchange curiously. "You can borrow my car", she said to Anna, "As long as you don't let him behind the wheel", she said pointing at Rome.

"Aw, that's no fair", Rome muttered.

"Hell yes it is", Anna said laughing at the expression on his face.

"It's a foreign car", Alyssa pointed out helpfully. "You can sit on the left and pretend you're driving."

"You still suck", he grumbled at her.

Alyssa just grinned, "Not for free", she murmured, and handed Anna the keys from her pocket, tugging on the blonde girl's hair lightly, "If you let him drive", she warned, "my car will tell me – and I'll cut your hair off while you're sleeping."

Anna chuckled, "I appreciate a good threat. No worries – I wouldn't let him near the business side of my car either. Under the hood, yes; driver's side, not a chance in hell – he can wreck his own car."

"You girls are _bitches_", Rome said incredulously.

"Yup", Alyssa said blandly. "Embrace it, deal with it. If you guys get lost call my cell – it's in my pocket."

"Aw, you'd stop screaming at your family just for us?" Anna asked in a fake sweet voice, "How sweet."

"That's just my personality", Alyssa said trying to bury a grin.

"_Bullshit_", Rome coughed loudly. "You're about as sweet as horseradish", he laughed.

Alyssa gave him a glare, "You're welcome to cram yourself in the trunk of my car", she said pointedly as footsteps were heard on the stairs.

Brian snickered, "_Please_ don't get her riled up this early in the morning."

"Too late", Dominic's voice overtook the room. Alyssa started slightly – she had thought it was Vince. "I already did that", he said stopping next to her with a smirk.

Alyssa scowled up at him momentarily. "Letty fuck your hangover away?" she asked innocently.

"Pretty much", he said, shit-eating grin still on his face. She realized he was purposefully punishing a few people in the room with their discussion: Brian and Mia for example.

Vince came back downstairs then, eating what looked like some sort of _Count Chocula_. He froze momentarily as he noticed Dom, but went back to his seat like nothing was unordinary. Alyssa smothered a laugh and gestured nicely for Rome and Anna to get lost. Anna jangled the keys in front of Rome's face but ran lightly up the stairs before he could catch her. Rome paused only long enough to thoroughly muss up Alyssa's hair and she shrieked and fell off the arm and onto the cushions, limbs in the air, looking sort of like a turtle, "Asshole!" she yelled as he thumped up the stairs. There was light laughter as she nearly fell of the couch trying to right herself and finally curled up in the far corner of the couch. "Brian, I am disclaiming them as friends", she grumbled half-heartedly.

Brian snorted, "Oh, yeah right."

"_Anna-banana, you _are_ gonna give me those keys", Rome yelled._

"_Not on your life", Anna called back good-naturedly as the door slammed._

Letty trampled down the stairs looking fresh from the shower and flopped down next to Alyssa on the couch, pulling her hair into a messy bun at the base of her neck. Dominic went and sat down next to her and Letty promptly crawled into his lap and quite literally sucked him into an indecent kiss. "Could you two keep that in the bedroom?" Alyssa muttered after a minute.

"What?" Dom questioned pulling back slightly, "Not 'family friendly' enough for you?" he laughed.

Letty buried a laugh against his neck and Alyssa flushed slightly. "Only slightly more family friendly than your dick in my backside this morning with the way you two suck face", she said finally.

Letty gave her a discreet 'thumbs up' sign behind Dom's head, which she didn't fully understand until Vince exploded, "_What?"_

Letty turned around in Dominic's lap to face everyone else who was either pointedly minding their own business or watching the exchange curiously. "Can't say I mind", Letty said evenly, looking around at each of them, "I got fucked senseless this morning."

Brian and Mia looked slightly ill. Vince looked furious, Leon was slightly pissed, but Alyssa wasn't quite sure why. And Jesse was entranced with his video game.

"I have one thing to say to all of you before me and Jesse burn rubber out of here for the day and go do fun shit while the rest of you all get your asses handed to you", Letty said seriously standing up and crossing her arms. Alyssa turned slightly, raising an eyebrow at Dom and he just shrugged. Alyssa smirked; she loved Letty in kick-ass mode. It made things so much easier.

"Those two", Letty continued, gesturing behind her to Alyssa and Dominic, "are _not_, I repeat _not_, fucking around behind my back. And I swear on all that is holy, the next person I hear going off about that shit is going to get punched in the face. If any of you think I'm honestly that _stupid_ that I would be so completely _oblivious_ to something like that say so now to _my_ face, or keep your goddamn mouth shut."

No one uttered a word, but Alyssa fought to keep herself from laughing as they all, in turn, got the scariest glare from Letty that Alyssa had ever seen. Dominic was just outright grinning at Letty's back.

"Why the hell are you leaving today then?" Vince asked standing up.

"Because none of what is about to happen today has anything to do with me", Letty said flatly. "The three of _us_ have worked out any issues between us – and in case you haven't noticed, I've stayed out of all of you guys' shit lately. You guys want to get your issues out? Air the dirty laundry? Fine. That happens today. And all the solutions that you all come up with stand – permanently. And we all move on." Letty turned around for a moment, sharing a look with Alyssa, before looking back at everyone else. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet but deadly serious. "She is still a part of this family; it doesn't matter that she hasn't lived with us for the past six years. That changes nothing. As far as I'm concerned, she has just as much say now as she did when we were just kids and she ran the house while Dom was in prison. Brian, I know you don't know everything that happened for that year and a half, but it was bad. And the rest of you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about – and for that, I can't even believe you're all pulling this shit. The only thing I have left to say is that if this crap isn't ended by the time we get back tonight I will go _ape-shit_", she snarled.

"Easy, mama", Dom muttered.

Alyssa let out a strangled laugh, "Wanted to stay out of it, huh?" she teased quietly, jumping up and wrapping Letty in a tight hug. "I freaking love you."

"Good luck with the rest of it", Letty chuckled under her breath at both of them. "I'll claim my own. But not those ones – you two have to share the rest of them."

Dominic laughed. "I told 'Lyss she has full custody for the next five years."

"I didn't agree to that", Alyssa refuted, hands on her hips.

"It was in the divorce papers", Dominic argued seriously.

"Oh, drat", Alyssa muttered, looking seriously vexed. "You mean those pesky, invisible, imaginary ones that I never signed?"

"Yes, those ones", Dom muttered, trying not to laugh. He was the only one facing the group currently and the look on Vince's face was priceless.

"Oh, don't tell me you two are still _married_?" Letty wailed dramatically.

"Of course not", Alyssa said shaking her head mirthfully. "I'm the ex-wife, but I refuse to claim my children."

Dominic grabbed Alyssa around the waist, "Vince looks like he wants to kill me", he muttered in an undertone so no one beyond the three of them could hear him. Letty's eyes went wide and she grinned, raising an eyebrow. "You may be a horrible mother, but you're my favorite ex-wife", Dom finished loud enough to be heard by the rest of them.

"Aw, and here I was thinking I was your _only_ ex-wife", she pouted.

"Eh, we'll see", he laughed.

"What the ever-loving _fuck_ is going on?" Vince demanded.

"Punishment for eavesdropping", Alyssa said flatly, not turning around, "And acting like an asshole." Vince's mouth dropped open.

"Jesse", Letty called, "You ready to go?"

Jesse stopped his game reluctantly, "Okay, where we going?" he asked, immediately excited.

Letty chuckled, "No idea. Let's just drive around a see where we end up."

"Can we take the dogs?" he questioned, looking over to where the two puppies were playing in a laundry basket.

Letty glanced at Alyssa. Alyssa shrugged, "Please – one less thing for us to deal with, or anyone to use as a shield", she said wryly. "Just, ah, keep the speeding to a minimum", she suggested. "And keep them in the basket when you're driving the car."

Letty laughed, "Deal."

"I'll call you if things start winding down at a reasonable time", Alyssa said quietly. "If it's not too late, maybe you can grab take-out to bring home for dinner?"

"Sounds good", Letty nodded. "Alright, I'm outta here. Kids, behave while I'm gone", she called rolling her eyes. She leaned up on her toes and gave Dom a quick kiss before running up the stairs, Jesse behind her carrying the laundry basket with the puppies.

There was a moment of deathly quiet until they all heard the front door slam shut. "Five minutes", Dominic said seriously standing up. "Then I want everyone upstairs in the living room – no excuses. No one leaves until all this shit is straightened out."

Alyssa gnawed on her bottom lip to stifle a smile. Dom wanted to change the seating arrangement for some reason. He wanted the big chair upstairs. When he headed for the stairs, she stood up and followed him, not looking back.

She helped him rearrange the living room wordlessly, the giant chair facing the rest of the furniture which was now shaped like a semi-circle around the coffee table. The intention was clear. And if anyone tried to sit in that chair, asses would be getting kicked a lot sooner than Alyssa originally thought.

Dominic interrupted the silence as he leaned against the side of one of the couches, "How long before everything blows up in our faces?" he muttered.

Alyssa sighed and walked over to him. "Truthfully?" she asked. "I'd say five minutes", she admitted. "But, dammit, Dom, if we start this out expecting it to be a confrontation, that's how it's gonna go. It doesn't need to be like that. It _shouldn't_ be like that. We should all be able to say what we need to so we can deal with it. I'm just really fed up with all of the back-handed comments. This shit is _not_ our family. It has to stop. And on that note, we don't have to tell them every single fucking thing either. Some things are better kept unsaid."

"Like what I said to you last night?" he raised an eyebrow.

"You remember what happened last night?" she questioned, vaguely amused. "I figured you were too drunk. Seriously, Dom? Coronas first? What's wrong with you? There's even a fucking jingle! 'Beer before liquor gets you drunk quicker; liquor before beer and you're in the clear.'" Her voice was vaguely patronizing as she hid a smirk.

"Yeah, I wanted to get drunk last night, not test my tolerance", Dom muttered.

"Well, you certainly managed to do _that_", Alyssa shook her head.

"You told Letty that I kissed you", he chuckled.

"Of course, dumbass", she muttered, "Why the hell not? Besides, that's a pretty accurate gauge for drunkenness – at least for you."

"That's just something that normal people would keep a secret", Dom pointed out wryly.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at him. "Not when it's your sister's man", she muttered. "And what indication is there that we are any type of normal? Besides, would be the point in hiding it? It was innocent – we didn't do anything wrong. You were beyond trashed – and you kept your tongue to yourself – surprisingly", she laughed. "Not only that, but I was sitting on your lap. Not totally all your drunken fault. And as for what you said", she sighed, "there's nothing really to talk about. I take drunken confessions with a grain of salt."

"You take everything with a grain of salt", he said flatly.

"Did you mean it?" she asked warily. She was honestly hoping he would say no.

"Not the way it sounded", Dominic muttered after a minute.

Alyssa glowered at him, "Yeah, I figured that much. Why the hell are you forcing the issue now then?" She held a hand up to stop his answer when she heard the reluctant footsteps trudging up the basement stairs. "Later", she said seriously. Alyssa looked around curiously, "And just where the hell am I sitting?"

"With me", Dom said flatly. He was using his 'end of discussion' tone.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, but went and dropped casually into the giant plush chair. "Beers", she muttered, waiving him off like she was the Queen of England as everybody else came in and found seats on the other couches. No one commented on the rearranged furniture.

Dominic came back with two beers in hand and gave one to her as she stood up and he sat in her spot and tugged her into his lap. It was a strategic move, she knew. It wasn't just the illusion of a united front. He wanted to see what would press everyone's buttons.

Alyssa squeezed her ass into the corner of the chair, tangling her legs with Dom's. She glanced up at him momentarily and he gave her a slight nod. She took a pull from her beer bottle before resting it against her thigh and allowing her gaze to meet each of the other's. "Okay, guys, let's talk."


	21. Chapter 21

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 20**_

There were two tense minutes of complete and utter silence before Alyssa snapped. She knew Dominic would be content to sit and wait until someone cracked, but she didn't have that sort of patience. Neither did he usually – there was usually a certain amount of head-bashing when he wanted answers, but for some reason he was fairly mellow about the whole thing. She whined internally. This was probably his payback for her laughing at his woes while she was gone. Their 'here, _you_ handle it' approach only worked semi-effectively – so it was only used when the other was about to commit mass murder… which was probably Dom's current position.

Unnoticed by the others, she squeezed his leg that was settled between hers, and he just sighed in her ear. With that okay from him, she spoke. "What? No one has anything to say?" she said sarcastically. "You all had plenty to say all week while I was gone." Nobody said anything and she turned slightly to look at Dom. "I don't know about you, but I have better things to do than sit here all day", she said flatly.

He just smirked, "Patience is a virtue", he muttered quietly in her ear. He did _not_ mean that statement. His mission statement was more along the lines of 'kick asses until someone talks', which she couldn't fault him for because it worked.

"Oh, bite me", she grumbled. Then she blocked her neck – he had taught he that lesson at sixteen. "Don't even think about it", she warned.

"Don't make empty promises", he laughed.

She elbowed him in the ribs. "Alright", she said, gazing around the room, leveling everyone with a glare that meant business. She paused at Brian, dropping the look completely and just shrugged – he stifled a laugh when she put her annoyed look back on and directed it at Vince.

"What the fuck was that?" Vince complained.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows innocently, "What? I know he didn't do anything – he doesn't even need to be here for this. And if I didn't think Mia would bitch at him about me later, I would have had him get lost with everyone else."

"You weren't here; how would you know he didn't do shit?" Vince grumbled.

She raised an eyebrow. "Because I've yet to get him back for the last stunt he and Mia pulled. He knows better than to be on my shit list twice – something all of _you_ really should know by now", she said flatly. "Quit acting like such a fucking baby."

"Get to the point, please", Dominic said boredly.

"Okay, so I was thinking that we could all just talk like adults", Alyssa said shaking her head, "But no, _apparently_ Dom and I have to have a sit-in powwow and act like parents to a bunch of bratty teenagers. It would be different if you guys were all just blowing off steam before, but it's obvious that everyone's still pissed about something… Somebody better open their mouth and say _something_ before I lose my temper", she snarled.

Nobody said anything. "Fine, then you can all just sit there while _I_ talk. Because I've got a list of stuff I'm pissed about that's completely directed at you guys." Alyssa waited a beat for that to sink in.

"What the hell did we do?" Mia asked finally, completely incredulous.

Alyssa raised both eyebrows. "I'll tell you what you _didn't_ do", she said flatly. "Not a single fucking one of you ever _asked_ me about why I left. Not one of you, in the last six years, has ever even come close to touching on the subject. You all just made faulty assumptions; and I'd be willing to bet half my money that you've all been harboring massive grudges over it all. And that is _so_ beyond not fair. And because none of you said anything, I had no reason to think that Dom hadn't told you – especially because he wouldn't speak to me", she rolled her eyes at him. "There was really no reason not to, except for the fact that he got rid of me by acting like a giant asshole."

Dominic grumbled at her, tugging her hair out of her ponytail and dropped her scrunchie in her lap. She pulled it onto her wrist and tilted her head into his hand slightly, vaguely feeling like a cat, and continued in a lower tone, but it didn't hide the venom in her voice. "So instead of actually _asking_ me, you all assumed that either I left because Dom and I were sleeping together, I was a selfish _bitch_ and I was just _abandoning you guys_, or that I knew what was going on and made no attempt to stop it – that pretty much covers it right?"

"Christ", Dom muttered. "How long have you been working up to that one?"

"A few days", she admitted, "Besides, what the hell did _you_ think their problem was?" she pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him. Alyssa sighed, shaking her head slightly under his hand, "I thought we were better than this, guys."

That cracked Mia. "What the hell were we supposed to think? You never showed at Race Wars, and when we got back, there was no trace of you left in the house. And in the middle of that, we find out Brian was a _cop_, and your phone was off and I couldn't get ahold of you. That move had _your_ signature on it – not my brother's." Mia was perched at the edge of the cushion staring at her, no longer leaning against Brian who looked mildly confused.

Alyssa froze, barely breathing, and slightly wide-eyed as she tried to process the verbal bitch-slap. She tried to sit up but Dom wouldn't let her. "I'm not going to attack her", Alyssa said dryly.

"Nope, you're not", he said good-naturedly, but he still didn't let go of her.

Alyssa shot a questioning look at Vince who paused in his glaring to shake his head at her. She groaned internally. He hadn't told Dom – but he hadn't told Mia either. "It only happened twice, Mia", she said in a low voice. "You can hardly call it a pattern. The first time was an _accident_ – and I was only gone for six hours. And the second time-" she stopped. "You have no _idea_ what happened that night, Mia, so lay off." Dominic's arms were around her waist now, in what looked like a precautionary manner, and she was barely restraining the tremors spreading throughout her body. She had never wanted anyone besides Vince to know just how badly she had been shaken that night. Apparently she wasn't going to get her wish.

"And you hid in Dom's room for three days straight having panic attacks after Vince brought you home", Mia snapped. "I thought we were going to have to rush you to the fucking hospital or something! At the very least, I deserve an explanation for _that_."

"She doesn't have to", Vince said after a minute of silence. He looked over at her then, taking in her pale face. "It has nothing to do with anything – you don't have to", he repeated quietly.

"The fuck she doesn't", Dom growled suddenly, turning her to face him. "_I_ want an explanation."

"I think we should just drop it", Vince said pointedly.

"There's a first", Alyssa muttered sarcastically. "You ain't exactly 'Mr. Let's Drop It', V", she explained when he raised an eyebrow at her. "And maybe I should", she said softly.

Vince just shook his head, "It's your shit, girl, do whatever."

She swallowed hard, aware of five sets of eyes on her. Leon was looking at her curiously, Mia was sort of frozen – anger still coming off of her in waves. Vince was probably _still_ pissed about the situation even though he was keeping his face blank for some reason. Brian… Brian _knew_ her – and she could see he was piecing things together and was nearly prepared for the worst. Dominic – well, she was studiously ignoring his gaze that was trying to read her face.

"Let go", she finally muttered not turning around. "I can't do this sitting on your lap."

Something in her tone made him let her go – he listened to her about as often as she willingly listened to him – nearly never. She got up immediately and began pacing the length of the living room. It may have been nearly ten years ago, but Alyssa was fairly certain that Dom would still be ridiculously pissed. And only at this moment was she grateful that he couldn't risk crossing the border. And as mad as he would be in five minutes when she told him, she knew he would ream her later – in private.

It wouldn't be because of any possessive feelings on his part. Because when it came down to it, if someone hurt her, they were as good as dead because despite anything else between them, she was still practically his baby sister – but not, because he flirted with her outrageously. He had only really pulled _one_ 'mine' moment with her over the years. They had been at the races so she had let him, in favor of not making a scene, but when they had gotten home, she had dragged him upstairs under false pretenses during the soon-to-become-usual weekend house party when Mr. T was gone and they had had an explosive fight under the cover of loud music.

00

_She practically shoved him into their bedroom, but it didn't really count seeing as he had a tight grip on her wrist and forced her in behind him. Alyssa slammed the door shut and locked it, shaking him off as she leaned against the door, arms folded across her chest in irritation. He didn't look any happier than she did at the moment, and at any other time, she would have been amused that he was pissed._

"_What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded. She was nearly seventeen, and they had been carrying on with this charade for nearly eight months. And most of the time, Alyssa was completely content to play girlfriend to one of the best – and highly desired – new racers on the streets. Dominic had quickly earned a name for himself – everyone in the underground scene had at least heard of him. That being said, she was content in her position, most of the time – until he pulled shit like this._

"_Are you serious?" Dominic shouted. "What the hell were you playing at out there?" he gestured towards the window._

"_Ya know, if you could have just cut all that macho bullshit that you feel is so necessary out there and waited two fucking minutes, you would have seen me tell him __**exactly**__ where he could put it! I was going to school him and embarrass him in front of his crew, and he's so stupid that it would have gotten through to him", Alyssa argued stepping forward and poking him in the chest. "Your jealous boyfriend act just ensured that he's probably going to be in town longer than he planned."_

_He smacked her hand away irritatedly. "You shouldn't have been talking to that guy", he snarled down at her._

"_I can talk to whomever I goddamn please", she snapped back. "I was __**not**__ flirting. Why all you guys think saying 'hi' is code for 'I really want you in my pants' is beyond me."_

"_**You**__ were flirting", he accused._

_She snorted incredulously, "No, I wasn't", she said flatly. "For starters, ew, that guy looked like ass. Secondly, we have a deal. Was I twirling my hair and acting like a stupid racer Barbie slut? No. Did it really _look_ like I was shoving my tits in his general direction? Absolutely not."_

"_You're right. We do have a deal" he said pointedly ignoring anything else she had said. "Which means that flirting or not, you shouldn't be talking to any of those racer newbies."_

_Her eyes narrowed, "And why is that exactly? Because I'm supposed to be your girlfriend?"_

"_As far as they're all concerned _yes_", he glowered down at her. "You chatting up those assholes makes me look bad."_

_Alyssa shook her head incredulously, "No, Dominic, _you_ make you look bad when you act like a shit."_

"_Oh, yeah?" he questioned sarcastically. "Enlighten me about how that works."_

"_First off, get rid of that derisive tone and stop acting like I'm some dumb bitch", she warned. He raised an eyebrow – it was as good of an apology as she was going to get in the middle of an argument. "The only thing you succeeded in doing tonight wasn't marking your territory", Alyssa muttered in disgust. "Which I'm _not_, and if you ever pull that shit with me again, in public or not, I __**will**__ make a scene. Girlfriend does _not_ equal property. The only thing you managed with that spectacular stunt was prove to all the guys that you don't trust your girlfriend – suggesting that I'm already going around behind your back. Meaning that all the morons willing to go around you are gonna start driving me bat-shit crazy", she snapped. "You should have let me handle it. Either you don't trust me, you think I'm an idiot, or you're just a jealous fuck – which is it?"_

"_Dammit", he grumbled shaking his head. She fought not to laugh – she was still mad at him. "Alright, so I'm a jealous fuck – get over it." He always hated when she was right._

_She raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips, "And? You'd better have something better to say than just 'get over it'", she said pointedly._

_He grabbed her then, lacing his fingers through hers on her hips, shaking her back and forth playfully. "Come on, I'm sorry."_

"_For what?" she pressed, hiding a grin._

_His mouth opened and closed, "I don't know", he admitted shrugging._

_Alyssa collapsed in giggles, dropping her head against his chest. "At least you're honest", she chuckled, poking him in the side. She contained herself after a minute and looked up at him. She reached up and tilted his chin down to her slightly, "I'm not your girl – not for real", she said quietly. "Quit the jealous crap." She rolled her eyes, "You're such an ass. And for the record, that possessive bullshit doesn't get me hot", she laughed. "You ain't gettin' laid tonight", she smirked._

_Dom just laughed, "First of all, that's not true – it totally does. And second, how's that different from any other night?" he teased wryly._

_She laughed too, "Oh, shut up."_

_He just scooped her up and dumped her on the bed as she shrieked, and then followed her, "I think maybe you deserve some compensation for my behavior tonight though", he said in her ear before he attacked her neck as she cracked up laughing._

"_Dominic, we are __**not**__ renegotiating!" she squealed._

00

When she turned back around, her face was void of emotion and she locked in on Mia. "I was drugged and nearly raped that night, Mia", she said flatly. "Forgive me for needing a few days to get over it." Then she turned and headed towards the stairs, planning to leave the room in silence – and relish the dramatic exit.

Alyssa stopped half-way there and grumbled under her breath. The annoying little voice in her head chanting, '_act like a grown-up, act like a grown-up_' sounded suspiciously like Letty – whom she was currently mentally cursing – made her turn back around. Clearly no one except Vince was prepared for that statement. So she decided to say her piece about the actual issue before they got their bearings and tried to gang up on her.

She ignored the fact that Dominic looked about ready to go postal and zeroed in on Mia, whose eyes were watering. "I didn't know", Mia said mournfully. "I'm such a bitch."

Alyssa let out a choked laugh and went to sit in front of her, perching on the coffee table. "Maybe I should have told you before", she admitted softly. "To be fair, Vince was the only one who knew – only because he came to get me." Alyssa turned slightly to glance at Vince. "If Hector hadn't been there and called you that night-" she stopped. It wasn't really necessary to finish that statement.

"When the _fuck_ did that even happen?" Dominic demanded from behind her.

"Four months before you got home", Alyssa said flatly, not turning around. She knew what he was thinking, and she'd be damned if he blamed himself for this too, "Some nobody that showed up one night – no one knew who the hell he was." She stood up and faced him then. "Hector called Vince when he couldn't find me – the house was fucking _huge_, and fifteen minutes later Vince was beating the shit out of the guy – which I don't really remember, seeing as it was pretty hazy by that point."

"You were passed out by that point", Vince growled.

Alyssa scowled at him, "Sure, let's make it worse", she muttered. She turned back to Dom. "I didn't tell you because you know just as well as I do that if I had, you would have landed yourself right back in prison", she said seriously. "And trust me when I say that Hector's crew took distinct pleasure in running the bastard out of town."

"Why the hell were you at a party by yourself anyway?" Dom asked raising an eyebrow.

She bit her lip and shook her head slightly, "Doesn't matter", she murmured softly.

"The hell it doesn't!" he argued.

Alyssa crossed her arms over her chest, "It doesn't matter", she repeated evenly.

He snorted but shook his head, "We'll talk about it later."

"That's what you think", she said under her breath. Then she turned back to face everyone else, "Anybody else wanna say anything?" Alyssa wondered, raising an eyebrow. "If you don't speak up now, and I hear about it later… I swear on all things holy – there will be pain."

"You and I had our conversation before", Vince shrugged.

"Yeah", Alyssa said dryly. "So why were you pulling shit when you got back?"

"I said I understood – not that I liked it", he muttered.

She couldn't help but snicker, despite the touchiness of the subject. That statement was so _Vince_. "Vince", she sighed exasperatedly, "c'mon, that's not fair."

He stood up and walked over to her, stopping inches away, arms folded across his chest. "You've always done what you wanted to – despite any of our opinions", he scowled. "Doesn't matter what you do this time – you're fucked either way." Vince turned around and headed back towards the basement door.

"_Hey-_" Dom called.

Alyssa held a hand up, "Don't", she said quietly. "Let him go. He's pissed at me, and I know why – it'll pan out on its own."

Dominic rubbed that spot between his eyes like he was getting a headache, "What'd you do?" he complained.

"He's always looked out for me – he has a right to be mad", she said softly. "He's just… worried. And don't even ask why", she warned flatly. "I'm nowhere near in the mood to break up a fight between the two of you over something so fucking stupid."

"_Not stupid!_" Vince shouted from the stairs, where he was apparently eavesdropping.

"Dom, deal with this shit", she said seriously, before walking out of the room. Alyssa was at the basement door and closing it behind her before anyone else could blink. She hoped for their sakes that they wouldn't try to listen in. "For someone who's said all he need to say earlier, you sure do have a lot of crap flying out of your mouth", she said flatly, stopping to stand on the bottom platform of the stairs, hands on her hips as she stared at him. He was standing on the floor and was currently at eye-level. "And eavesdropping is not an attractive trait."

He dropped his confrontational stance then and traded it for a wolfish grin, "You think I'm attractive otherwise?"

She reached out and pushed the side of his head playfully and groaned, "Yes, Vince, I want your sexy bod", she said in a monotone.

He shrugged easily, "Never hurts to ask."

She giggled. "Now, stop that – I'm supposed to be annoyed with you", she reminded.

Vince took on a thoughtful look, "C'mon." He turned and headed for his room.

She rolled her eyes at the order, but followed. Alyssa flopped down on the bed on her back as Vince shut the door, her head resting on a pillow at the foot. "Wanna fight in here?" she asked mildly amused.

He shook his head, and she raised a curious eyebrow until he climbed on top of her, resting his chin on her stomach, his legs stretched out between hers. "_Ohh_," she said laughing, "You're really gonna piss me off, huh?"

"Nope, no fighting", he said calmly. "There's just shit you need to hear – and I want you in one place."

She grinned. She used to make him chase her when he was pissed off at her when they were younger. Running on the high school track team for three years had come in handy over the years. It's not like she _liked_ his reality checks. But Vince, as volatile as he was in his own right, kept her grounded in the world of Dom. As much as they both said otherwise, they both knew she listened to him when it was important – even if it was only by brute force on his part. They had taken to talking in this position while Dom was in prison – they both had fiery tempers when the occasion called for it; and for some reason the intimate position kept them from inflicting verbal damage on each other. "Alright, Scruffy", Alyssa conceded finally, "hit me."

He rubbed his prickly beard on her stomach for _that_ nickname, ignoring her complaints until she tugged at his hair. He reached down and grabbed her knee where he knew she was ticklish and she shrieked. "You are such a bitch", he laughed.

She just stuck her tongue out, "But you love _me_", she sang knowingly.

"That information is classified", he said dryly.

She huffed at him playfully. Getting verbal affection from him was like pulling teeth, but he more than made up for it in other ways. "V", she prompted after a minute.

"_How_ pissed would you be if I told you that you should get out here before our shit ruins your life?" he asked seriously.

She propped herself up on her elbows immediately, "Fucking pissed. What the fuck kind of question _is_ that?" she demanded.

"_Alright_, ease off, Killer", he said, looking at her wide-eyed.

"No, you moron, I will not 'ease off'", she snapped. "Why the fuck would you say that? And _don't_ try to tell me it was an idle statement."

"Let me rephrase that then – you need to get out of here before Dom's shit fucks you up even more than it already has", he said flatly.

"_Vince -_"

"Remember after Rita died", Vince said quietly, "And you had appendicitis?" He moved away from her slightly, tracing the scar on her left hip.

Alyssa frowned, looking down at him, "Yeah, why?"

"You were _screaming_ for Dom that night – I thought you were having a fucking nightmare", he murmured. "Scared the shit out of me when I figured out you were sick. You were near delusional by the time you got to the ER."

She wound her fingers through his hair lightly, "Glad I don't remember most of it", she muttered. "What does that have to do with anything else?" He simply eyed her like she was stupid. "Use words, Vince", she insisted after a minute.

"You trust people too easily", he said finally.

"People meaning Dom?" she questioned knowingly. "It's funny", Alyssa said quietly, "Dom thinks I don't trust anyone, and you think the exact opposite."

"I don't happen to find that funny at all", he stated flatly.

The next morning was crazy as everyone gathered their things to go to the beach. And it had started at breakfast. Nearly everyone was at the table eating whatever form of breakfast they had found when a surprised yell came from the second floor. "Who the hell-" Dom started, looking around.

Mia stood up and headed towards the living room. "Brian?" she yelled. "What's wrong?"

They could all hear him stomping down the stairs and made their way to the living room as well, "I'll tell you what's wrong", he shouted. "I look like the Jolly Green Giant! That's what the fuck is wrong!" he stepped into view and the scowl on his face was not the first thing that anyone saw.

"Dude, your hair's green!" Leon pointed out unhelpfully.

Alyssa was hiding behind Dom's broad back shaking, using him for a human shield as she tried to contain her laughter. He reached back and pinched her thigh. _He_ knew she did it.

"What the hell did you do to your hair?" Mia asked.

"Oh, like I did this?" he said incredulously, "Seriously, Mia?"

Vince snorted. Mia punched him in the gut. "Ow, damn woman!" he complained. "You have to admit it was a seriously stupid question", he said honestly. She went to hit him again, but he dodged this time.

Jesse put a calming hand on Mia's arm, "In with the oxygen, out with the craziness", he said seriously. Mia gave him an incredulous look. Letty collapsed in laughter against Vince and Leon, and Dom was just grinning at the entire situation.

"_Where_ is she?" Brian demanded, trying to sound serious – even thought Jesse's statement nearly had him in stitches as well.

"Who?" Mia asked curiously.

"Oh, fuck", Letty said laughing, covering her mouth in realization.

Alyssa grabbed Dom by the shoulders then and jumped on his back, his arms winding underneath her thighs holding her in place. "Damn, Brian", she said feigning shock, "What the hell happened to your hair?" Anna reached over and gave her a high-five.

"You fucking snot", he glowered at her.

"Brian, you dyed my hair blue five years ago", she reminded flatly.

"Smurfette!" Rome said gleefully.

"_Anna_", Alyssa whined.

Anna reached up and smacked the back of Rome's head. "Ouch!" he complained.

"And you meddled", Alyssa continued. "That was payback – now we're even. It's not permanent", she said helpfully.

"Now that that's settled", Dom laughed, "Can I go back to my breakfast?"

"Keep me away from Brian", she stage-whispered. "He's still glaring at me."

They finished breakfast and finally were ready to leave by eleven. Everyone else was gathered in the kitchen when Alyssa walked in wearing just her bathing suit – her clothes in the tote bag over her shoulder. Dominic cracked up the second he saw her. "What is so goddamn funny?" she demanded, hands on her hips. "My hair isn't green."

"You look like a cheerleader for the Eagles!" he laughed.

"I do _not-_" she stopped and looked down at herself, "oh, shit", she laughed.

Her yellow two-piece consisted of a halter-style top and boy shorts.

"You just need some boots and you'd be set", he laughed.

"You suck, Dom", she grumbled good-naturedly as they all headed out the door laughing.


	22. Chapter 22

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 21**_

Alyssa was getting dressed after her shower early the next afternoon, happily checking out her new tan lines from the day before at the beach, when she heard an unfortunately familiar car roar up the driveway. They weren't expecting visitors. She had only been half-dressed while blow-drying her hair, so she quickly tugged on a pair of dark wash, low-rise jeans and snatched one of Dominic's white button-up shirts from the back of the door and pulled it on over her red tank top and ran to her room, "_Shit_", she growled, fighting with the combination lock with her gun safe. She grabbed her Beretta hiding it in the back of her pants and ran down the stairs. "_Brian_!" she shouted. He scared the crap out of her coming into the kitchen behind her. She stifled a grin at the fact that his hair was still slightly tinged green – even though he spent most of yesterday trying to get it out while muttering curses in her general direction.

"He's _here_?" he hissed in her ear. "What the hell for?"

"Damned if I know", she muttered, sliding on flip-flops. "But you have to come with me – and we have to get out there in case Dom tries to kill him – you know he never knows when to shut up", she ran out the door and down the porch steps and towards the driveway with Brian behind her.

There sitting in the middle of the driveway was a shiny, black 1968 Camaro Pro Street. The man standing in front of the car was looking intimidating as ever with his dark sunglasses that covered his green eyes, dark jeans, and blue striped button-down. He smirked as he caught sight of her, but she stopped about ten feet away from him, arms folded across her chest, completely unamused.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she snarled; she had her game face on. Work partner or not, this man took more energy to keep up with than she had at the moment. "A phone call wouldn't work?" she snapped. "You just had to come down and make a scene, didn't you?"

He bypassed her completely, fully intent on pissing her off, and looked behind her, hiding his surprise, "Hey, Brian, what's up?"

"Not much, man, you?" he nodded.

He chuckled, "Just checking up on our girl", he said gesturing to Alyssa – who had to restrain herself from marching over and punching him in the face. "If I had known she was with you, I wouldn't have bothered, but I have a business proposition for her."

"Nick, I am standing _right_ here", she warned. "Stop talking around me." Heavy footsteps on the gravel and a quick glance over her shoulder had her groaning under her breath. "And for _once_, can you not be an antagonistic asshole", she muttered.

"I didn't realize we were expecting company", Dom rumbled coming to stand slightly in front of her. He eyed her in what he clearly recognized as _his_ shirt, but decided not to bring it up at the moment, thank goodness.

She spared him a level look and moved past him, "We _weren't_", she said flatly.

"Nick Lawson", the man stepped forward to introduce himself, but Alyssa put a nix on that idea. She wasn't interested in watching these two have a pissing contest.

"Oh, no you don't", she said cutting off his approach. "You two aren't going to be getting friendly – _you're_ leaving in a minute", she said pointedly.

"And here I thought you'd miss me", he monotoned.

"No, no, not really", she said. Her voice was patronizing, and the look on her face was serious. Brian held back a laugh – he had been on the receiving end of that look too many times not to appreciate her being pissed with someone else.

"You said something about a business proposition", Brian interrupted. He had _no_ idea how these two ever managed to work together – they were so fucking competitive.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "Nick, if this is about what I think it is, my answer is no – just like always", she said, annoyed.

"You were asked for specifically", he said turning serious.

"I always am, and I don't really give a shit", she stated boredly. "Besides, he owes me money; I'm not doing him any favors."

Nick flipped his sunglasses off, his startling blue eyes staring her down. "It's your ass", he muttered finally. "Call your brother and tell him you said no – again."

She snorted, "Amazing, isn't it, he's only five hours away and still sends you all the way down here to do the dirty work."

"Exactly what are you supposed to be doing?" Dom muttered near her ear, grabbing her arm.

Brian laughed sarcastically, "Have fun explaining that one", he shook his head. "Why the hell is John in Mexico?" he asked seriously.

"Nothing; I don't have to do anything", she growled shaking him off. "And Brian, if you're going to be an ass, go inside", she hissed. "My brother is on the coast – supposedly on vacation", she answered grudgingly. "Apparently he's also doing business", Alyssa muttered dryly.

"You might not have a choice", Nick warned quietly.

"Isn't that comforting", she murmured under her breath.

"You've been mixing business with pleasure", he said pointedly.

She nodded reluctantly, "This has been personal for a long time, I just didn't know it."

"If you end up saying yes", he said, "You know I've got your back."

She smiled wryly, "Yeah, I know", she said softly. "I'm going to call John today and see what the hell is going on. I've been meaning to – other issues have come up, and they probably just bit me in the ass. I might have to go to Texas", she said flatly. "If I do, it'll be soon, and I'll let you know."

"Alright, good", Nick nodded. Then he gestured to the sides, "And you might want to think about taking your body guards with you", he smirked.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at the back-handed insinuation, but she knew he was serious, "I'll keep that in mind."

He gave her another nod, "Looking good, kid."

She looked at him incredulously, mildly amused, "Don't start", she chuckled. "Now, get the hell out of here before I forget just why I hate you", she said waiving him off.

He headed back to the driver's side, stopping to peer over the top of the car. "I'll expect a call in the morning. I know you work fast", he teased. She glared. "Call me", he said seriously, "Or I'll come back."

"That won't be necessary", she snapped.

"Later, babe", he said. She just rolled her eyes. "Brian", he said nodding. "Nick", Brian muttered back.

As a parting shot, he looked over the hood of the car at her, straight in the eye, smirking slightly, "Thanks for painting my living room; looks good." The car roared out of the driveway just as loudly as it entered.

"Show-off", Alyssa grumbled turning back to the house.

"_Freeze_", Dom growled, clearly having used all his patience watching the conversation. "You had sex with _that_ guy? And you were staying at his house last week", he stated.

Alyssa spun around, the look on her face showed that she was _supremely_ pissed off. "If that's the only issue you have, that just shows how much you don't know", she said lowly. Ironically, Brian looked just as annoyed with the irrelevant question as she did. "And to answer your _retarded_ question, yes. _Had_, as in, past tense", she said, narrowing her eyes. "If you really want to continue that line of questioning, I'll be more _specific_", she spat.

"Knock it _off_", Brian demanded, for once interfering with their fighting pattern. "Alyssa, I know you're planning on going to Texas – we're coming with you."

Alyssa scowled, but he just glared back at her, "Fine", she muttered, shaking her head. "I was going to kidnap _you_ this weekend to go talk to John anyways", she admitted. "Marco owes us half a million dollars", she said under her breath, "He's been holding out for months – it's time to go figure out what's going on with his finances. I can't imagine he's actually _broke_, but something's got his money tied up, and I want to know what it is."

"He's always paid on time", Brian agreed frowning.

"And he's still wanting me to go play cross-country runner", she grumbled. "I _don't_ want to go on a wild goose chase when I don't know where I'll end up. And I _really_ fucking _hate_ Texas."

"_I_ really wish you would have stuck to doing paperwork", Brian grumbled back.

She laughed, "Aw, but that wouldn't be _nearly_ as exciting."

"I'd take boredom over being shot", Brian said shaking his head.

"_I_ promised to stop threatening to shoot you", Alyssa grinned.

"_You_ don't worry me; I know you would never have done it – not to me anyways", Brian said seriously.

She softened, deciding to stop teasing him for once, "No, I wouldn't have", she said quietly. "But let's keep that between us, huh?" she smirked.

He laughed, "Yeah, alright. We can't have anyone else questioning your authority."

"Not if you want to stay alive", she said under her breath.

"I thought you agreed to _stop_ threatening him", Dom muttered.

"Dude, that wasn't directed at me", Brian laughed. "She strikes fear into the shady business men of Miami – as well as the thugs that work for her. I was hearing about some chick who broke some guy's nose after I took a job after I turned down the LAPD, I nearly pissed myself when it turned out to be her", he said, still incredulous. "She's usually just referred to as 'that crazy bitch'."

Alyssa tossed her head back and laughed, "That's so sweet, Bri", she grinned, "probably the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"You broke someone's nose?" Dominic was staring at her like she had grown two heads.

"Oh, believe me, honey, he deserved it", she said seriously.

"Did you seriously shoot some guy in the nads?" Brian asked wincing.

She rolled her eyes, "That's just a rumor I let get out of hand when I heard one of my drivers tried to rape someone. He was promptly fired, by the way."

"_Christ_", Dom muttered, "Who the hell _are_ you?" he wondered shaking his head. "Did you just say you have _drivers_?"

"I may have gotten a little more involved in my brother's business than I had originally planned to", she murmured. "You didn't really think he was a _lawyer_ did you? The guy that Brian bought the fake passports from, that's really just a cover. He deals drugs internationally. His business is carefully divided into sections so that the drugs and money never cross. Drop-off points change constantly for both. Nothing ever goes to the same place twice. Braga was his number two", she said finally. "He was in charge of everything going in and out of Mexico."

"He thought he was the shit", Brian laughed. Alyssa snickered at their old joke, she couldn't help that the timing was completely inappropriate.

"Yeah", she laughed, "he really did. By the way, you and Rome know that Carter gets out in five years, right?" she asked smirking.

"Oh, _fuck_, seriously?" Brian said, his jaw dropping. She laughed. "_You_ get to tell Rome", Brian said after a minute. She shut up.

"Crap", she whined. He chuckled. "_Anyways_", she said clearing her throat.

"So, what's the plan of action, Killer?" Brian smirked.

Alyssa shot him a warning look, suddenly feeling sick, "We're driving to Texas", she said flatly. "We have to play the game."

Brian sighed, "You really don't have a choice do you?"

"No", she shook her head taking a deep breath, "Let's try to be gone no longer than a week, alright?" She wasn't going to try to convince him to stay put – it wouldn't work.

"Who is he to you?" Dom asked finally.

"Who, Marco?" she raised an eyebrow; he nodded. "Technically- well, my brother runs everything for him money-wise, his wife has up until- she was dealing with the drivers before, but they've been gone a lot recently…" she turned to Brian, momentarily stunned by a random thought.

"What?" he asked.

"Brian", she said slowly, "If John and Rachel are on the coast, I'm here, and Nick was just here, who the _hell_ did they leave in charge?"

"They could have left Diane in the office for a few days by herself, couldn't they?" he suggested warily.

"That stupid twit has no idea how to do anything but file her nails", she snapped.

"Would you rather it was her or Jeff?" Brian pointed out.

She wrinkled her nose, "I don't trust Jeff."

"He's friends with Nick", Brian laughed.

"Which is as good a reason as any", Alyssa said seriously. "I trust Nick about as far as I could throw him."

"Yeah, I really wasn't feeling the love this time", Brian said teasingly.

"_This time_?" she asked incredulously, "As opposed to every _other _time?" she questioned.

"He _likes_ you", Brian teased.

Alyssa's jaw slackened, and she coughed, "No he _likes_ pissing me off", she argued.

Brian crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh, so we're gonna play _that_ game?" he said raising his eyebrows pointedly.

"Oh, shut up", she growled.

He smirked, "So when are we leaving?"

"I'd say tomorrow, but I have some calls to make to be certain that things go smoothly", she said thoughtfully. "This is going to suck as it is – I'd rather have it be as easy as possible. So the day after – in the morning, we'll leave."

"I'm coming with you", Dominic said seriously.

Alyssa barely resisted the urge to cross her eyes at him – this man would give her a twitch, she just knew it. She could have sworn they had settled this already. "Okay", she said slowly, "But you know, you really don't have to – Brian and I can take care of it. This mostly has to do with us anyways", she grumbled. Although she wasn't entirely sure how true that statement was.

"Sucks to be you then, doesn't it?" Dom muttered, "I'm still coming."

Alyssa fought back a grin. He was pouting at her. "You do that then", she said mirthfully, shaking her head. "Brian, we'll take your car and mine. I hate to break it to you, big guy", she looked up at Dom, "But you're going to have to ride with me – at least to cross the border."

"Just out of curiosity, what the hell would it matter?" Dom asked raising an eyebrow.

"Brian's not wanted, so he'll be fine, and _I_ have connections, _papi_", she grinned. "They won't even ask you for your ID."

"I'm guessing you really only want both cars to cross, right?" Brian asked, following her train of thought.

She nodded, "Yeah, and as a precaution", she muttered. "I'll make a reservation at the _Crown_ _Hotel_ in Seattle, and we'll stay there. I'll drive us to Marco's – hopefully Javier will be at the security gate when we get there – I can scare _him_ into letting us in without proper authorization."

"Newbie?" Brian chuckled.

"Second year", Alyssa laughed.

"Dom, prepare to meet Queen Bitch-zilla", Brian said smirking.

"Oh, I _know_ you're not talking about me, pretty boy", Alyssa said, hands on her hips, clearly affronted.

"_What?_" Dom asked laughing.

"Hell, yes I am", Brian said grinning.

"You're gonna see my alter-personality a lot sooner than you expect if you keep it up", she said flatly. "Brian, you know better. When we get in there, we are not friends. I do all the talking, and all you two have to do is stand behind me a shut up. You don't say _anything_ without my okay. If shit goes down, my ass is on the line."

"Why did you call it a game?" Dom asked seriously.

Brian groaned and Alyssa shook her head, sighing. "When I say you don't say a _word_, I mean it", she said seriously, "No matter _what_ happens. I'll have my gun on me anyways."

"Like now?" Brian laughed. "Nick would be hurt."

"I was more worried that he might have someone with him", she said quietly. "You guys can hide guns on you – they'll search you for them, but if they think they're taking them, they've got another thing coming", Alyssa muttered.

"Who's 'they'?" Dominic asked sternly.

"Marco is a billionaire", she said dryly. "Do you really think her doesn't have security on staff at his house?"

"You've been there, right?" Brian said cocking his head at her. "Draw us a map in case we get split up", he said seriously.

She nodded, "I'll sketch out what I know – mostly just the first floor. But, Brian, _seriously_, if something happens, you'll have to just stand there and stay unemotional – I'm a big girl, I'll be fine, I promise."

He growled, clearly not happy – he'd seen her flirting with the mobsters before, and he knew Dom was in for the shock of his life. "What's this guy like?" he asked finally.

Alyssa nodded, "Thank you. He's fifty-seven, old-school, and a bit too charming for his own good", she said wryly.

"Ugh, gag me", Brian muttered.

"Gladly", she teased reaching an arm out. "I really don't think we'll be separated, though. And as he owes _me_ money, I have the upper hand – his turf or not. It should be a very friendly disagreement."

"And that's what I'm worried about", Brian said in annoyance.

"And the fact that even after several conversations, he still underestimates me", she added, ignoring him, "I have an advantage. Don't screw that up by snapping. I need both of you to behave."

"Why do I get the feeling that was directed at me?" Dom asked wryly.

"It was", she said shortly. "You're protective of me, and I love you for that, really. But this is my job, and I'm gonna need you to just stand back and let me do it."

Brian groaned, as if bracing himself, before finally speaking up. "I've seen her in action, Dom. She can handle herself – I just hate watching her do it. We're there as a last resort."

"It's where Queen Bitch-zilla – as Brian nicknamed me when I go into work-mode – comes in", Alyssa smirked. "Oh, one other thing", she groaned.

"What?" Brian wondered.

She raised a pointed eyebrow, "The _real_ reason I ended up tackling you two weeks ago."

Brian laughed aloud, "You're gonna make _me_ do it?" She nodded. "Chicken", he smirked as she stared him down. He shrugged, "She doesn't go by her name when she works", he said to Dom.

Dominic just raised an eyebrow at her, saying nothing, and waited for her to crack. _This was way more embarrassing than it should have been._ "Lucky Davenport", she muttered under her breath. "But you guys won't really be talking to me in there anyways", she said, clearing her throat and ignoring Brian's questioning look. Not that she could blame him – she had been quite happy surprising the shit out of him when they had first run into each other in Miami. With Dom… it was just different. "I just figured the more information the better… and speaking of that", she sighed. "Brian, I don't know if he knows you drove for us. Even though I'd really bet he does, I don't want to take any unnecessary risks with information – so you're gonna have to play stupid."

"Shouldn't be hard", he grinned at her.

"Yeah, just stand there and try to be an intimidating beach-rat", she teased reaching over to ruffle his hair. He twisted her around and put her in a headlock. She relaxed complacently – the last time he had done that, and he had surprised her, she had flipped him onto his back. Now, unless they were really playing, she tended to just go slack. Vince had made her take kick-boxing classes and a self-defense class when she was nineteen after she had been sexually assaulted. She had stuck with the kick-boxing because it kept her in shape – and her reaction time to unexpected grabbing could be quite startling. Brian had been warned a long time ago.

"Not gonna flip me this time?" he muttered in her ear.

"Do you _want_ me to knock the breath out of you right now?" she asked looking over her shoulder.

He let her go easily, "Nah, not really." She laughed.

"Sort of a shame", she giggled facing him, "I love hearing you yelling '_oh, shit_' before you hit the ground."

"Yeah, that's not my favorite part", Brian grimaced.

"Are you idiots coming inside?" Letty shouted standing next to Mia on the front porch, hands on her hips. "What the hell's going on _now_? Can't we have one day of peace?"

"Bitchy hormones lighting up there, Let?" Alyssa called back grinning. "You're the original drama-starter."

That brought on a bunch of riotous laughter, "Alyssa, you're so full'a shit", Letty shouted laughing. "Everyone knows it's you – you're the trouble-maker in the family, always have been."

"Bite me, Letty!" Alyssa yelled back indignantly.

"When and where?" Letty called smirking.

"Tomorrow, my ass!" Alyssa teased heading over. "Just be happy I didn't give you a show", she snickered.

"We've all seen your ass, 'Lyssa – white as a ghost", Dom laughed, "Nothin' new." Alyssa ran around the corner of the house and came back and sprayed him with the hose and then sprinted into the house.

00

**A/N: The **_**actual**_** reviewers who like this story, review please! I'm working on the next few chapters as we speak. So you review, and I'll post – deal?**


	23. Chapter 23

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 22**_

Alyssa was pacing her room on the phone with her brother when Brian came in and flopped down on her bed. She mostly ignored him while fighting with John.

"What do you _mean_ you don't-"… "Ugh, seriously? I'm so glad you decided to keep me in the loop", she hissed sarcastically. "_Yes_", she muttered exasperatedly, "you should have told me before. Dammit, you can just throw this in my lap-"… "Fine, I guess I'm just going to do what I want, then? _No_, I'm not going to shoot a billionaire – why do you always ask me that? I'm not _that_ trigger happy. For god's sake…Yeah, thanks for that – you're _so_ much help." She hung up and slammed her phone on the dresser.

Alyssa went and collapsed next to Brian on the bed, "I'm gonna kill my brother", she murmured into the pillow. "I never _really_ liked him that much anyways."

"It went that well, huh?" Brian raised an eyebrow turning on his side to face her.

"I just got _bumped_", she said, lifting her face from the pillow to stare over at him incredulously, "_Up_."

Brian stared at her blankly, "_Up_ where?"

"Rachel is pregnant", she said flatly. "I can't even be happy about it, because I just got handed the entire money division of a multi-_billion_ dollar, illegal corporation. Brian, I don't have time for this shit", she said tiredly. "I never wanted to do this to begin with. He's been planning this for nearly a year, Brian, and he never said a word."

"_Damn_", he hissed through his teeth.

"How very eloquent", she snarked. "He doesn't realize what he's just done", she sighed. "I wasn't even _aware_ he could do that!"

"I always did question his sanity", Brian said rolling his eyes.

She smacked him in the face with a small pillow. "_That's_ not what I meant, you shithead. Who is going to do _my_ job while I'm running his shit? How am I supposed to head everything up _and_ have time to keep everyone in line behind the scenes? He just took all of my actual power away. You know those guys are terrifying", she grumbled. "I want my own life back", she muttered.

"Call Nick", Brian suggested with a smirk.

She rolled her head sideways, giving him an exasperated look, "_Yeah_, right. _He's_ gonna be my new best friend", she muttered sarcastically, "Seeing as we work so well together."

Brian chuckled, "You guys would be fine if you didn't make everything a competition."

"We would be fine if he could restrain himself from being an egotistical asshole", she countered.

"Talking about me again?" Dom questioned from the doorway, raising an eyebrow, puppies in his arms – which he had clearly confiscated back from Jesse and Vince.

Alyssa snorted, mildly amused, "No, not this time."

"The _other_ 'egotistical asshole'", Brian rolled his eyes.

"Ah, ah", she scolded, "I didn't say that." She pried herself reluctantly off the bed and grabbed her previously abused phone from the dresser and curled back up on the bed and began scrolling through her contacts.

"What are you doing?" Brian muttered, peering over her shoulder.

"Taking your advice – sort of", she grumbled. "I don't wanna talk to him. Just gonna send a text."

He laughed, "He'll just call you _back_."

Alyssa frowned, "Then you can answer it and tell him to please fuck off."

"Yeah, that would go over well", Brian muttered.

She laughed then. "I can imagine it would."

"What are you guys doing?" Dominic said leaning against the doorframe.

Brian grinned, "_She's_ bitching, and I'm laughing at her."

"Not at all sympathetic to my problems", she grumbled good-naturedly as she tapped at her phone's electronic keypad and sent off a quick text. "I'm just taking care of some logistics", Alyssa murmured. Her phone rang.

Brian stared at it incredulously and she snickered. "His ringtone is the theme song from _Jaws_, seriously?" he asked. "Does _he_ know that?"

"Ugh, you answer it", she whined pushing the phone in his direction.

Brian shook his head and sat up, looking at her like she was crazy, but did as she asked and put it on speakerphone. "Hey, Nick, what's up?" he said, easily falling into a former role.

"Brian", Nick answered, voice clearly amused, "Where's Ali? She just texted me."

"And I told you not to call me back", Alyssa muttered in annoyance, rolling away from the phone. "I don't want to talk to you", she said loudly enough to be heard.

"Were you drunk texting me?" Nick laughed.

"No", she said sitting up. "It was completely intelligible."

"It was coherent, yes, but it didn't make any sense", Nick muttered.

Brian tapped through her phone and accessed her text messages while still on the phone, "Hold on, I'll try to translate 'wacko-speak'", he muttered. Alyssa reached over and smacked his arm lightly, and he ignored her. He stared at the sent message incredulously, "'Lyssa, you could have _explained_ this", he laughed.

"I thought it made perfect sense", she said flatly.

He groaned at her, "Fine, I got this one", he muttered getting off the bed and taking her phone, heading downstairs.

Alyssa looked over in the doorway. "Your turn?" she asked teasingly gesturing to the empty spot on the bed. Dom chuckled, dropping both puppies on her and took a dive onto the bed next to her, nearly managing to bounce her onto the floor before she could right herself, "Was that entirely necessary?" she laughed.

"Yup, it was", he said blandly. "You make Brian do your dirty work?" he asked.

She laughed outright, "Whenever I can", she said lightly. She cleared her throat, "Only if I know he honestly doesn't mind", she said seriously. "He gets along with Nick better than I do in a general sense; he uses the bullshit factor more easily than I can. Although, to be fair, we _can_ get along, but it's easier not to, so we only behave when it's serious", she laughed. "We work well together when it's actually _for_ work – otherwise it tends to be a crap-shoot." She grinned as her baby curled into a ball on her stomach and Dom's went and started making a nest out of her hair on the pillow.

"Are you still sleeping with him?" he asked gruffly.

Alyssa winced, "Not recently", she said honestly. He had played many roles to her over the years, and _most_ of the time his reactions stemmed from brotherly feelings so she cut him some slack. She may not have thought certain things were his business, but if he asked her outright, she wouldn't lie to him – it would be pointless anyway, he could read her like a book.

"But you're going to." It wasn't a question.

"Gotta protect what little virtue you have left", she teased. He frowned and she sighed exasperatedly. "Not right this minute", she muttered. "Geez, Dom, it's not like I plan it – that shit just happens."

"I never thought you'd end up being _that_ girl", he said, clearly annoyed.

The insinuation was clear, and had it come from anyone else, they might have been spitting out teeth by now. He thought she was a booty-call girl, _how nice_, she thought. But she sighed, "I've always been that girl, though haven't I?" she questioned pointedly. "I won't become a nun because I can't trust anyone long enough to be in a relationship, and you're just gonna have to deal with that."

"Aren't you the one who always says that we're too old for this shit?" he said in a low tone. She said nothing. He was right in a way. "You're gonna end up pregnant", he muttered under his breath. Her eyes widened at the aggravation clear in his voice – _she wasn't going __**near**__ that one._ And if she was honest, the irritation conveyed in that statement stung her more than it should have – or maybe not since he had basically insinuated that she was a slut.

They laid in silence for quite some time. She knew he had a few things he wanted to say to her, but she didn't press the subject; they had tomorrow and a long drive the next day to get through. Brian came back in a few minutes later and tossed her phone back at her.

"He's gonna call your brother", Brian stated grinning widely.

Alyssa let out a surprised laugh, "Imagine his surprise that Nick's on _my_ side for once. That nearly _never_ happens."

"He said he'd call you back later tonight and let you know what happened", he said gleefully.

"Good deal", she said shaking her head. "I'd _love_ to hear that conversation first-hand."

"It would probably be pretty funny", Brian nodded.

"Thanks", she said.

He grinned wryly, "I guess you're in charge now then?"

"God, don't remind me", she grumbled.

"Hey", he wondered curiously, "What's my ringtone?"

Alyssa snickered and passed him back the phone, "Look and see."

Music blared through the tiny speaker seconds later. "_Pretty Fly for a White Guy_?" he asked incredulously. He jumped on her and she let out a peal of laughter as he assaulted her sides, taking advantage of all her sensitive spots that he had found over the years as she tried to stop the onslaught. She vaguely noticed Dom roll off the bed out of the way while she tried to fight Brian off.

"I _give_, I give", she shrieked after a few minutes, "_Geez!_"

00

Vince cornered her the next afternoon in the garage as she was checking over her car preparing for the long drive. "You three planning on coming back?" he muttered after standing and staring at her for near five minutes – she was tense as it was and nearly told him to spit it out already.

She looked up, only slightly surprised at the question – mostly because it was directed at her. It had been quite some time since she had felt the weight of responsibility for this family rest on her shoulders. She had forgotten how painful it could feel – and Dom had always managed to handle all of their shit on a daily basis without so much as batting an eyelash. She took in a deep breath, steeling herself for the inevitable. She was no longer eighteen trying to hold a broken family together. She wasn't Mia's legal guardian, or in charge of keeping their financial head above water, she'd had bigger fish to fry – she could do this. "Yes", she said seriously. "Yes, we're coming back."

"How much trouble did he manage to get into this time?" he asked bluntly.

Alyssa gave a wry smile, "Dom? Eh, I don't really think this is about Dom. But I'm not telling him that yet, so maybe he'll behave himself", she muttered.

"Brian?" he questioned. "Because I'd say you can leave him there", he joked, "but I don't think Mia would like that."

Alyssa shook her head, "Nice to know you're feeling the warm fuzzies for him, V", she smirked.

"I'm just playin'", he said gruffly. He stared her down briefly, "What you got going on, baby girl?"

She shrugged, "Not sure yet", she admitted.

"You gonna be alright?" he asked seriously.

Alyssa nodded, "I'll make sure they get back."

"And you?"

Then she smiled, rolling her eyes, "Like they'd go anywhere without me", she said seriously. "I'll be fine; promise."

00

_About a week and a half ago:_

_She and Letty were loitering around some tiny shops scattered around the city, mostly window shopping but occasionally they both saw things they wanted to purchase. And eventually the each had quite a few bags to carry, and Alyssa suggested that they head back to the car and stop somewhere for dinner seeing as it was getting late._

_They found a quaint little restaurant and asked to be seated on the back patio. "God, I've really missed this", Alyssa murmured._

"_Margaritas?" Letty wondered raising an eyebrow, "We've got a blender at home, you know – somewhere."_

"_Not that, you wackadoo", Alyssa laughed. "I mean you – and Mia: mi otra dos Musketeers."_

"_God, what the hell happened to your Spanish? Yours is about as bad as Dom's", Letty chuckled._

_Alyssa winced, "Great", she said dryly._

"_You know we missed you too, chica", Letty said seriously. "It's not the same when you're not around."_

"_No shopping partner extraordinaire?" Alyssa asked raising an eyebrow._

"_Mia and I do not have the same style", Letty offered diplomatically._

"_Yeah, I sorta noticed that when I was fourteen" Alyssa teased. "You two were like polar opposites clothes-wise."_

"_Hah, yeah – I definitely can't pull off a dress", Letty said smirking._

_Alyssa gave her an incredulous look, "You lie", she insisted. "So full of it; you kill in the right dress, Letty, geez. I'll force you into one soon, no ifs ands or buts."_

"_My butt is the problem", Letty chuckled._

"_You and your Latina ass", Alyssa giggled._

"_Damn proud of it too – just can't get it in a dress", Letty smirked. _

_Alyssa laughed until her face was red. "Oh, god", she muttered trying to catch her breath. "It's been too long since I've gotten to laugh so hard."_

"_If you don't stay with us, I won't hold it against you – I know you have your own life now, but you have to come visit, like a lot", Letty said seriously. "Like once a month or something – seriously."_

"_Aw, crap, Letty", she muttered, tearing up slightly, "Don't get me started."_

"_I damn sure will", Letty said seriously, "If it'll get you to listen to me. Your being gone had my man bent all outta shape – it's like he's had a lobotomy recently. You don't even realize… We've all missed you like crazy, but you being here is like fresh air for him."_

"_What is he? A glutton for punishment?" Alyssa muttered. "We drive each other crazy." Then she looked up seriously, "He hasn't been the only one without his best friend, you know – but at least the rest of you have all been together. And could you tell Brian that? He doesn't believe me when I say I'm a breath of fresh air – he looks at me funny."_

"_You not being here was like having a giant hole in our family – how can you not see that?" Letty said quietly. "Mia always said Dom was like gravity, and she's right in a way. But you draw people to you like that too, and you don't even notice it. That's why when the two of you are together no one can get a word in edgewise."_

"_Letty", she muttered, "I'm sorry."_

"_For what?" Letty asked incredulously. "You didn't do anything wrong."_

_She sighed, "Me and Dom… we never should have done what we did. He wanted to make you jealous, and you know I can't tell him no. But we let it get to carried away – two years, Letty, fuck. We were so stupid. And then he was in prison-"_

"_Oh, hun, it was so long ago", Letty murmured. "Don't beat yourself up over it, alright?"_

"_It was a game for us, Letty –you have no idea", she said hoarsely. "We didn't just put on a show for everyone – we weren't together, but it continued when we were alone. And when we would fight… god, we were awful."_

"_I remember", Letty said quietly._

_Alyssa shook her head, "We fought like we were really dating, Let. It shouldn't have been like that. He could act like such a jealous fuck – hell, he still does! And I know damn well he doesn't feel that way about me."_

"_He can't help himself", Letty said calmly. "He's an overly-possessive Italian."_

"_I feel like the other woman here, Letty – and that's not right", she sighed. "We're too fucked up – and I'm afraid of the eventual fall-out."_

"_Well, your chicken-shit self better suck it up and talk to him then, don't ya think?" Letty said pointedly._

"_I already did", Alyssa muttered. "What did you think we did all afternoon?"_

"_What the hell are you spazzing out about for, if you talked to Dom?" Letty whined._

"_I'm emotionally defective with nearly every other man on the planet except for him", she said reluctantly, "And even that's a toss-up. I'm insanely attracted to him when I'm drunk Letty", she said carefully. "He knows that – and he thinks it's funny." Alyssa scowled. "Why the hell do you think he made me dance with him last night, huh? After all these years, we're still playing this game. And that's what scares me."_

"_Do you trust him?" Letty asked quietly._

"_That's a loaded question", Alyssa grumbled unhappily. Letty waited. "Yes", she sighed finally, "I do."_

"_And so do I. I'm not saying you have to put up with his shit, but if you _really_ trust him, wait it out. See what happens – you know just as well as I do, that he has a reason for everything. Even if he doesn't know what it is. Maybe you both deserve to find out", Letty said quietly._

"_That sounds like you're heaping curses down on our heads", Alyssa said making a pained face._

_Letty chuckled, "Maybe", she teased._

"_I wouldn't sleep with him – you can kick my ass", Alyssa said warily. "But he's not a cheater either, so that's not necessary. And me… I would never do that to you. It wouldn't be worth it to fuck everything up. If anything like that ever happened, Letty, I would leave – and I wouldn't come back."_

"_Did he ever cheat on you?" Letty wondered thoughtfully._

"_You couldn't call it cheating", Alyssa answered flatly, stifling a groan. Dominic would kill her for telling this story to Letty. "I was sleeping with that other guy – and we weren't even really dating."_

_Letty eyed her, "Explain."_

"_Letty", she whined, "Dom will throttle me if he finds out I told you this."_

_Letty just shook her head, "Spill", she demanded._

_Alyssa let out a weary sigh. "It was the one and only time he slept with Johnny Tran's sister", she said tiredly._

_Letty whistled through her teeth, "Damn, what happened?" she asked. "I knew he slept with her, but he never told me when."_

"_It was also our worst fight ever", Alyssa said quietly. "Remember a few months after his dad died, I came over and asked to stay during the week? I told you Dom was being an asshole… that was why."_

"_Yeah, I remember that. You were fuming. Wait- you caught him, didn't you?" Letty whispered._

_Alyssa rolled her eyes and nodded. "That wasn't why I was mad though. He was with her in _our_ bed and I came home earlier on that Sunday morning than I was supposed to… thankfully they were just sleeping. I wouldn't have cared if he was sleeping with someone – not really, but her? I woke him up by smacking him with a pillow and told him to throw the trash out of our room. He was still drunk from the night before. I went away for the weekend and he got blitzed – you know how messed up he was after all that. He was spiraling out of control, and by then, he was looking for a fight. He would have never come after me like he did if had been sober – he didn't physically hurt me... It was what he said that had pissed me off more than anything else."_

"_What happened?" Letty prodded._

"_I kicked that whore out of bed and chased her outside", Alyssa said shaking her head. "I was worried about him – he didn't want to deal with anything, so when he followed me outside and called me a meddling bitch and told me to mind my own business, I got back in his face."_

_Letty groaned knowingly. "You two really could go at it."_

"_We shouted for like twenty minutes before he finally got sick of me – stupid me, I figured he would run out of steam, but he was running on beer. I told him ignoring what had happened wouldn't make it go away, and eventually reality would catch up with him."_

"_Didn't like that, huh?" Letty muttered knowingly._

"_Nope, he told me I didn't know what the fuck I was talking about seeing as my parents left me on purpose and neither of his would have done that."_

"_My god", Letty cringed._

_Alyssa nodded, "I know, harsh, right? Even from him. Vince had finally woken up by then because we were so loud and came outside. Dom was literally inches from my face. Vince told me later that he thought Dom was gonna hit me – which you know he wouldn't have. I just stood there for a minute and waited to see if it would sink into his alcohol-addled brain what he'd just said to me. It did. Less than five seconds. I just looked up and told him, 'You know just as well as I do that that's a true statement. And it's something I came to terms with a long time ago – so that doesn't sting nearly as much as I'm sure you'd hoped.'"_

"_Guilt trip?" Letty said incredulously._

"_It sobered him up", Alyssa said seriously, shaking her head. "Then I told him I was going to your house. And that I wasn't coming back until he got his shit together – and I sure as hell wasn't going to sleep in his bedroom while it smelled like that skank." Letty laughed. "I said he smelled like a cheap whore and he should go take a shower. Then I went back into the house, grabbed my keys and peeled over to your place before he even budged. Vince was watching me bug-eyed; it was kinda funny."_

"_You only stayed at my place for three days", Letty murmured. "Dom was so pissed when he came to talk to you and I didn't let him just come in the house. He's lucky my mom was at work. And then I thought he was gonna maul you on our couch." Alyssa grimaced. "Was that for my benefit, or not?" Letty asked seriously._

_Alyssa shook her head, "Honestly, Letty, I have no idea. And that's the whole fucking problem."_

"_This probably sounds strange, especially coming from me, but watching you two", Letty shrugged. "I think it's funny. He could flirt with you all he wants, and I know I don't have a damn thing to worry about."_

"_Letty, I think maybe you trust us too much", Alyssa said quietly._

"_I think you don't trust yourself enough", Letty countered gently. "Stop pulling away from him – from all of us, just because you're afraid of ending up in bed with him – because I honestly don't see that happening."_

_Alyssa gave her an incredulous look, "That's just really bad logic, Let, seriously."_

_Letty ignored her, "I think that you two have seen each other at the absolute worst – and the fact that you still obviously still can care about each other even after all the hurt offers a bit of a safety net. That's not necessarily a bad thing."_

"_Safety blanket", Alyssa muttered amusedly under her breath. "That was the statement the landed me with sand in my ass-crack this afternoon."_

_Letty smirked, "That figures. You know", she said seriously, "I understand your relationship dysfunction issues – so, I think that despite everything, Dominic is one of the few men in your life that you let get close, even now."_

_Alyssa shook her head wryly, "Yeah, what's your point?" she muttered. "You know that, I know that, and he knows that. It's not news."_

"_My point is: what the fuck are you going to do about it?" Letty said seriously. "Do you want to be alone for the rest of your life? And I mean besides all of us – because you know we'll always be here."_

_She sighed – nothing like a hard-learned lesson from a sister. "It's not just Dom, Letty", she said. "Do you realize how spoiled we've all been? Our guys – they're treasures, not that we should ever tell them that", Alyssa grinned. "If I could roll all of their good qualities together – I'd have the perfect man."_

"_Or the world's biggest pain in the ass", Letty teased._

"_I said 'good qualities'", Alyssa laughed._

_Letty snickered, "I know."_

_Alyssa cleared her throat, "Seriously though, with those guys – other than sex, because eww – I have everything I need. Why would I want to…" she laughed again. "Why would I willing put a man I really loved through the hazing that would ensue from those morons if I had a serious relationship? It would be like a college fraternity! That on its own would be enough of a reason not to – not to mention my commitment issues."_

"_Brian stuck around", Letty pointed out._

"_He had ulterior motive to begin with… and after that, his sanity is highly suspect", Alyssa refuted dryly._

"_So we just need to find you a guy who wants to turn us in and is easily influenced enough to become as crazy as the rest of us?" Letty chuckled_

"_Sure", Alyssa agreed amiably. "And you get to explain your wacko pregnant-logic to Dom", she said raising her eyebrows. "I'm sure he'd go for that if you made him a good deal", she teased._

"_Oh, shut up, you tramp", Letty laughed. Alyssa threw a celery stick at her._

00

**A/N: Flashback is from the middle of Chapter 15 when they went shopping. As always: review, review, review! Thanks for reading! (Can anybody tell that I've been writing this story out of order? Lol.)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 23**_

There were only vague explanations, despite the constant badgering, because she would really rather not have everyone worrying and she finally went upstairs to pack a suitcase. She was digging through the closet sorting for appropriate apparel when Letty barged into the room and locked the door behind her. "You may not want to tell everyone else what the hell is going on, but you sure as _hell_ are going to tell me", Letty demanded, arms crossed over her chest, and scowling viciously.

Alyssa sighed and came out of the closet with a pile of clothing and dumped it on the bed before looking up at Letty pensively. "What did Dom tell you about the man Brian got the fake passports from?" she asked tiredly.

"Nothing", Letty growled, "So start talking."

"He's my boss", Alyssa said seriously, keeping her voice low. "And he is also the head of the drug cartel that Braga was running out of Mexico."

"You", Letty warned, "had better be kidding."

Alyssa just shook her head, "I'm sorry, Let – I really wish I was. If I had known that you were planning on going under-cover… I would have warned you. Brian didn't have much information about the operation even though he drove for us while he was in Miami", she said softly. "He warned me they were trying to bust Braga when he was recruited for the Fed – he wouldn't let me get involved."

"You've been friends for a lot longer than before Dom thought I was killed", Letty said flatly.

"Since about a year after you guys went on the run", she sighed sitting on the bed. "It wasn't completely friendly", Alyssa said honestly. "I was so angry with him – even after we fought about it. He knew I didn't completely forgive him right away. When I ran into him about a month after he and Rome put Carter Verone in jail-" she gave a wry laugh, "I was steaming Letty. And all the things I said to him that night – he just took it. And as angry as I was, he felt way guiltier; any accusation I could have made wouldn't have done a damn thing, because he knew it was true. But it wasn't until I met David that I truly understood and could really let it go – which is twisted in a way, because David and I do _not_ get along."

"Why?" Letty raised a curious eyebrow.

Alyssa smirked, "Besides the fact that he basically insinuated that I was a whore the first time I met him? And that was in the first fifteen minutes."

"Did you slap him?" Letty asked, hiding a grin. "If I recall correctly", she mused, "that was the only time you _ever_ hit Dominic."

"No", Alyssa frowned, "I would have if he couldn't have arrested me for it though – he's a U. S. Marshal", she said flatly. "And drunk or not, Dom knew better than to call me that", she folded her arms across her chest irritatedly. "And I've hit him twice", she muttered sheepishly.

Letty bit her lip thoughtfully. "What were you even fighting about that day? You weren't 'going out' then. Hell, that was after he finally found his balls and asked me out", she said tilting her head to the side in amusement.

"_I heard that_", Dominic called trying the handle. "Unlock the door", he demanded.

"Or you could go away", Alyssa called back pointedly.

Letty went and opened the door, dodging the four-legged fluff balls skittering through the opening and running in circles around her ankles. "Want something?" she asked playfully. "We're in the middle of a conversation."

"If you're discussing my balls I have a right to be in the room", he muttered looping his arms around her waist and walking them both into the room and he shut the door again.

Letty snickered, "No worries, that's not all we were discussing."

Alyssa rolled her eyes and resumed packing, ignoring their disgusting little kissing-fest. "Could you two do that in _your_ bedroom?" she said dryly, knowing better than to look in their direction. "I have to finish packing _and_ I probably have to supervise Brian", she muttered rolling her eyes. "Or separate, so Letty can finish bothering me while you go pack – and then I will quite happily send her back to you."

"Dom", Letty muttered half-heartedly, "you're ruining my interrogation here."

That caught his attention. "Why are we interrogating?"

Letty laughed, "Not _we_, me."

"She was currently in the middle of trying to figure out why you called me a whore when I was twenty", Alyssa said flatly.

"Okay, I'm leaving then", Dom muttered. "And if I remember correctly, I didn't call you a whore. I told you to stop acting like one."

Alyssa looked over at him then, arching an eyebrow, "You really want to argue over the semantics of that statement?" she asked him seriously. She turned to Letty, "Bruised hand prints had him hitting the roof – you missed the first ten minutes when he walked in on me getting out of the shower."

Letty just rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, "Half the shit you guys fight about would never happen if you'd just _knock_, Dom", she muttered exasperatedly.

"Sure, let's make this _my_ fault", he said false-easiness coating his tone.

"You were just pissed that I never would tell you who I was sleeping with", Alyssa stated knowingly. "And that I was smart enough not to fool around with the guys in town so you couldn't kick their asses."

"I wouldn't have done that", he defended. Letty choked at the ridiculousness of _that_ statement.

Alyssa just snorted, "Oh, bullshit. I'm fully aware that you and Vince scared away all the guys that wanted to ask any of us out."

He just raised both of his eyebrows in challenge, "Chris Trent", he said flatly.

She winced. "I thought we agreed not to mention that again", she said glaring up at him.

"And we added the 'except for when you're being a moron' clause", he shrugged. "_And_", he said glancing over at Letty who looked mildly amused, "my not knocking would be completely irrelevant if she'd just behave herself."

"That's only partially true", Letty laughed.

"Uh, standing _right_ here", Alyssa complained.

"Yeah, what in the _hell_ are you packing?" he muttered coming over and sifting through the piles of clothing that she was folding. She smacked his hand away irritatedly and he glowered at her. "Where _exactly_ do you think you are planning to wear this?" he asked incredulously, holding up a tiny shirt.

She snatched it from him, refolding it and putting it in the suitcase. When she finally straightened and looked up at him, her face was pensive. "I've never asked", she said seriously, "But just this one time, I'm asking you to butt out. It's my job – and you don't need to be involved any more than you already are."

"And what kind of job do you have _exactly_ that requires you to dress like a five-cent hooker?" he asked, clearly unamused.

"Dominic, do you ever think before you talk?" Letty grumbled, rubbing at her forehead exasperatedly.

Alyssa just rolled her eyes and went back to the closet and came back with a pair of chunky, black leather boots and threw them onto the bed. They were held shut by snaps going all the way up each side, and the length went all the way to the bottom of her knees.

Letty coughed, "I retract my previous statement", she said under her breath.

"Alright", Alyssa snapped aggravatedly, pointing towards the door, "_out_, now – both of you."

Letty snickered, "Where'd you get those?"

Alyssa turned a glare on her, "You think I'm kidding? Out!" she commanded.

"Some kind of dominatrix/stripper shop, I'm guessing", Dom muttered at Letty as Alyssa started pushing them towards the door.

"Would you two please stop harassing me and go have sex or something", Alyssa said rolling her eyes. "Pack tonight – I want to be out of here by six", she said to Dominic before shutting the door in their faces and locking it.

"Well, that was rude", Letty laughed.

"Fuck _off_", Alyssa shouted through the door. She heard the laughter and a few seconds later their bedroom door slammed shut. "Morons", Alyssa muttered chuckling as she turned up the radio and resumed packing while the puppies played in her piles of clothes.

Five minutes later there was a knock on the door. Alyssa went to the door, intent to yell at whoever it was to leave her the fuck alone, but abruptly closed her mouth when she saw Mia. "Umm, hi?" she questioned wryly.

"Let me in", Mia demanded, making her way through the door. "I don't want to hear them", she said motioning across the hall with a grimace.

Alyssa laughed and re-shut the door, "What's up, Mia?"

"Just wondering how the packing was going", she responded lightly. Except for Mia was not only a Toretto, but Dominic's sister – Mia didn't _do_ subtle.

"Just say it", Alyssa insisted on a sigh.

Mia slipped onto an empty spot on the bed, facing Alyssa, mouth set in a grim line. "Should I be worried? Tell me the truth", she said sternly.

"I would go by myself if I thought they would let me", Alyssa said seriously. "But I'm fairly certain that everything will be fine."

"I can't lose them again", Mia said quietly.

Alyssa sighed, "I know. I promise you that I'll do everything to make sure that doesn't happen. I honestly don't think it will be that bad though. Not like last time with all the shooting and shit – these guys aren't thugs, they're the guys that _hire_ the thugs – but they're business men. It's not the same. And none of them are like Carter Verone – who in case you haven't heard, was fucking _insane_", she muttered.

Mia let out a quiet sigh; she wasn't sure which was worse. "Are we okay now?" she asked after a minute of silence.

Alyssa looked up from zipping her suitcase shut, tilting her head thoughtfully before moving the suitcase to the floor and sitting as well. "That's really up to you", Alyssa said finally. "I should have come back when I found out you were staying at the house by yourself after Jesse and Vince went down to Mexico", she said quietly, and then abruptly shut her mouth before she could say anything else in regards to _that_ subject. "I know we can't change any of the past, but I _am_ sorry. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined all the things that we've all been through over the years – I thought I was doing the right thing, but I'm sorry that you felt like I was abandoning you. I know you don't always see it the way I do, but you've always been the strongest person I've ever met."

"Do me a favor", Mia said seriously.

"What?" Alyssa said curiously.

"I heard what you told my brother the other night", she said quietly.

Alyssa quirked an eyebrow, "When?" she asked warily.

"The night you got home and he was drunk on the porch", Mia explained making a face. "Vince whined at me until I went upstairs and got him a beer – I heard you tell him not to apologize for making you leave. You told him it was the right thing." She looked at Alyssa for acknowledgement.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I said – what's your point?" Alyssa muttered.

"If he did the right thing, and it wasn't his fault, why the hell are you blaming yourself for it?" Mia asked exasperatedly.

"Okay", she muttered, falling back onto the bed, letting her legs hang over the side, "point taken."

"Good", Mia said, shaking her head in a calm, self-satisfied way. "You and Dom-" she chuckled at the look of warning on Alyssa's face. "I wasn't going to go _there_", she insisted.

Alyssa shrugged, "Go on then, Yoda", she teased, relaxing again.

Mia flattened herself on the bed next to her, and they were both promptly pounced on. "Just thinking that with the way you two are, you should probably _own_ property in the land of denial by now", she snickered. "These two are _so_ freaking cute", Mia exclaimed.

"We do." Alyssa turned her head and grinned at her, "And the island next to it and a hotel. You should come visit some time", she agreed. "Just let me know when you're bored of the real world and I'll send you a ticket."

Mia laughed, "Oh, _please_, with all the crazy stuff going on in this family, that will never happen."

"That's probably true", Alyssa nodded. The door creaked open then, and she didn't bother to tilt her head backwards to see that it was Dom. "Want your dog?" she asked, "He's chewing on my hair."

He didn't answer her query, just saying one word. "Mia." And for some reason he was being polite enough to leave off the unspoken _get out_ that his tone implied.

Mia pried herself off the bed, and stood to face her brother, arms folded over her chest. "Dominic", she said cocking her head defiantly.

Alyssa fought not to laugh at the fact that they were honestly fighting over her. She turned over onto her stomach and bit her lip. _Did this man honestly _not_ know better than not to walk around her without a shirt on?_ She groaned slightly. "What do you want, Dom?" she asked flatly, purposefully interrupting the staring contest he was having with Mia.

He was leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, and as calm as his facade was holding, Alyssa knew he was about to yell at her for something – something that was most likely completely irrelevant.

She huffed and turned her head to look over her shoulder, "Mia, do you think you could babysit Brian while he packs? Make sure he doesn't forget something stupid? I wrote him a list – he should be using it", she snickered, "but for some reason that doesn't always work."

Mia gave her an incredulous look. Her mouth tightened slightly before she spoke, "You know, it's shit like this that makes everyone think you're sleeping together", she pointed out.

Alyssa just rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm aware of that", she said in a monotone. "Everyone needs to just get the hell over it."

Mia shook her head, with a look that clearly said, _yeah, right_. "Fine, I'll go help to awful suitcase packer", she muttered and headed for the door.

Alyssa smothered a laugh as she watched Dom reach over and flick Mia's ear as she passed in a gesture of affectionate, brotherly annoyance. Mia just smacked his hand away and flicked him off – promptly running down the stairs before he could retaliate for _that_ gesture. He didn't particularly favor it coming from his sister. He grumbled incoherently as he watched Mia retreat gracefully. Alyssa rolled back over, moving to put her head on the pillows, and stared at the motionless ceiling fan.

"Letty pass out on you?" Alyssa asked finally.

He chuckled, not moving yet, "Pretty much."

She lay there silent for a moment before pulling herself from the bed with a groan and went into the closet and came out with a box and set it on the bed. She looked over to see him watching her silently and she spoke softly, gesturing him in with a nod, "Lock the door." He raised an amused eyebrow and she just rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You have a one-track mind if I've ever saw one", she muttered.

"What's your point?" he shrugged pushing the door closed and turning the lock.

She just gave him a dirty look that made him laugh and she scooped the two puppies off the bed, removing their teeth from her pillow, and put them both in the laundry basket to hopefully fall asleep. She pulled a case from the box and held it out for him to take. "I forgot earlier, with all the craziness."

He opened the lid and sniffed inside the box discreetly. She laughed and dug out her own case. "These things are so fucking bad for you", Dom pointed out gleefully.

"Thou shalt _not_ speak badly about the sacred, magical sticks", Alyssa said covering her ears playfully. He gave her a look that clearly said, _are you crazy?_ "Besides, they're better for you than cigarettes."

He shrugged, "Don't care." Dom took one out and weaved it between his fingers.

Alyssa tossed him the cutter, "Gotta hide those from Rome – he likes to steal them", she laughed.

He clipped the end off of his and threw it back to her. "Good to know", he said raising an eyebrow.

Alyssa clipped hers and threw the cutter back into the box and pulled out a bottle of red wine and slipped her lighter in her pocket. "C'mon", she grinned, "out the window."

He laughed, "You've got to be the woman of my dreams."

She groaned, her head lulling to the side, "Hopeless, aren't ya?" she muttered dryly.

"Pretty much", he agreed amiably reaching over her to open the window.

Instead of slipping through the opened window, she turned back to face him, his arms blocking her in. She sighed at his questioning glance. "Can you just sit out here with me for a while?" she requested softly. She was internally grateful that he knew her well enough that she didn't have to add _without you hitting on me_.

"Yeah", he said, his voice low to match hers. "Yeah, we can do that."

She slid out the window and settled on a flat part of the roof and watched as he followed. He sat down next to her, elbows resting on his knees and she dug out her lighter. She inhaled deeply as the flame caught and let out a contented sigh before passing him the lighter.

He lit his and she chuckled. "What?" he wondered boredly.

"I was right", she said, taking another hit, "these _are_ better than sex. And I've probably cursed myself for the next ten years for saying that", she grumbled.

"Good God, you need to get laid", Dominic said incredulously, shaking his head.

She snickered, and laid her head on his bare shoulder. "No shit. What did you want before?" she wondered softly.

She felt his muscles tense and then relax again before he spoke in a measured tone, "It will keep."

"Okay", she murmured. Alyssa reached for the wine bottle, "Then I'm gonna get a little drunk."

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**A/N: Review, review, review! And then I'll post the next chapter!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Chapter 24**_

Alyssa had woken Dom up that morning by poking him repeatedly, until he threatened her with physical violence – _maybe_ she was a little antsy. She had shoved Dominic out of the room and he went to take a shower as she jumped on the bed with Letty and settled the puppies in bed with her. Letty had turned to look at her sleepily and propped herself up with an elbow, "I have a doctor's appointment in three weeks – to find out the sex of the baby", she said seriously. "It would be nice if he was alive and back here by then."

Alyssa bit her bottom lip, "Point taken", she said nodding. "Don't stress, okay? Keep an eye on these crazies for us", she said affectionately, rolling Riley back and forth on her back on the bed. She crawled off the bed, dropping a kiss on Letty's forehead, "We'll be back, Let. Take care of yourself – and Peanut", she said pointing at Letty's slightly rounded stomach. "I gotta go make sure Brian got his ass out of bed. See you when we get back. Dom will be in after he's done in the bathroom." And then she left.

She ran into Brian in the hallway, "Oh, good, you're up", she whispered.

"Oh, please", he grumbled. "I know better than to piss you off when we go off on a mission."

"Why so cranky, Blondie?" Alyssa asked tilting her head curiously.

He studied her momentarily, "Dom in the shower?" he asked wryly.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, why?"

"I was too – until I froze my ass", he complained.

She giggled, letting her head fall on his shoulder, "I'm sorry", she snickered. Brian snorted at her, and she weaved an arm through his. "Come on", she said conspiratorially, "Let's drink all the coffee before Dom comes down", Alyssa murmured pulling them towards the stairs.

Brian just groaned, but grabbed his sports bag and followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Mmm, coffee", he muttered appreciatively as they poured cups and sat at the table. Alyssa only moved to get the bagel she had popped into the toaster and then curled back up in her chair and nibbled at it and nursed her coffee.

Dom entered the kitchen, his bag in hand, just as Brian was stealing the other half of Alyssa's bagel. "Dammit, you asshole, gimme my fucking bagel", she hissed, reaching over and trying to take it back.

Dominic rolled his eyes and went to the coffee machine, "Could you two act your age?" he muttered blandly, "In lower decibels, preferably."

"You never eat it anyways – I'm just taking it before it gets cold", Brian grumbled at her around a giant bite.

"Moron", Alyssa grumbled. She popped the last bite into her mouth and drained her remaining coffee. Alyssa went and got another cup and grabbed a banana from the fridge, whining when she bit into it, "It's _cold_."

"What'd you expect, dumbass", Brian teased. Alyssa flicked him off and sat back down.

"You guys ready to go after this?" Dom asked.

Brian nodded, "We just have to throw our shit in the cars – not that we have much. Princess packed light this time", he smirked at Alyssa.

She looked over at him innocently, "I pulled both of our cars into the front driveway earlier and relocked the garage. And I put new batteries in the two-way radios – yours is in the center console" Brian gave her a dirty look and then shrugged and nodded. He didn't really care if _she_ drove his car – he drove hers enough. Alyssa laughed and stood up, putting her cup in the sink and throwing the banana peel away. "All my shit is already in the car", she said to Dom, "Just put your stuff in back. I have to run downstairs really quick, and then I'm ready." She went to the basement door without waiting for his nod.

Alyssa went into Vince's room silently and shook him awake cautiously. "What", he grumbled into the pillow.

"Vince, can you turn over and be coherent with me for a second?" she requested dryly.

"Fuck, what?" he complained gruffly, turning on his side to face her. "What are you doing down here, baby doll?"

She squatted down next to his face, "We're leaving", Alyssa said. "I need you to promise me you'll take care of Letty while we're gone", she said seriously. "_Promise me_", she repeated.

Vince studied her with an inscrutable look on his face, "Promise", he said finally.

She let out a relieved sigh, "_Thank you_." Alyssa stood up then, and dropped a kiss on his cheek, chuckling at the roughness of his beard against her face. She went to pull away then, but he grabbed her around the waist, and she barely got out a screech of indignation before he finished sucking on her neck. "_Vincent Cavallo!_" she complained incredulously when he let her go. "You fucker", she growled, rubbing at her neck.

Vince just chuckled, despite the fact that she had just full-named him. "See you when you get back, baby doll." He turned back over then, and fake snored until she stomped out of the room.

"Rat bastard", she snarled under her breath as she walked back into the kitchen.

Dom and Brian looked at her in surprise. "Who are you pissed at?" Brian ventured calmly.

"_Vince_", she grumbled irritatedly. "That asshole just gave me a hickey", Alyssa muttered moving her hand away from the spot cautiously. Brian took one look at the purple bruise and high-tailed it to his car, stifling a laugh. Alyssa rolled her eyes at his retreating form, staring him down as he stood leaning against his car facing her with a smirk firmly in place. "If he didn't want me sleeping with anyone he could have just said so", she sighed. Then she looked up and smirked, "That's how he used to try to keep me out of trouble at parties we'd go to – he figured guys would leave me alone if they thought I was with someone. Sadly, it worked more than half the time."

"Jesus", Dominic grumbled.

Alyssa whipped her head to look at him. "What?" she snapped.

"Why'd you go down there?" Dom wondered raising a curious eyebrow.

She bit her bottom lip thoughtfully, "To ask him to keep an eye on Letty while we were gone", she said honestly. "Something you would have done if you weren't still pissed at him", Alyssa murmured quietly. "Come on", she said finally, heading for the door, "We gotta get moving. We're on channel three, Brian", she said as they got in the cars. He gave her a thumbs up and they did a quick check before pulling out of the driveway and heading for the interstate.

The drive was long, nearly taking a day and a half. They had left early in the morning and didn't arrive at the hotel until seven-thirty the next night. She had told Brian about half an hour from the border – sometime around noon on the first day –to follow the usual procedure and stay a few cars behind hers, because she had called and found out that Chris was running the gate for the day shift.

Dominic's suspicious look had her sighing. "Dom, just sit there and do _not_ under any circumstances open your mouth", she said seriously. "It's bad enough you're on the visible side of the car."

"Ya know, I'm kinda tired of you being so bossy", he muttered.

She reached over and swatted his head, "I'm cleaning up your mess, buddy, so watch it", she warned.

"Fucking bitch", Dom snarled at her.

"God, I forgot how much I hate road trips with you", she grumbled running a hand through her hair. "Once we cross the border and we're about half an hour away from here", she said, pulling into a long line of cars waiting to be let across, "we'll stop and get some lunch. Then I want to stop as little as possible until we get there tomorrow."

They sat for nearly ten minutes – long enough for Dom to get twitchy – before the car in front of them took it's turn at the gate. Alyssa picked up the radio and spoke to Brian, "You know the drill", she said quietly, "After this car goes through, I'll honk my horn and the camera will get shut off before I get to the window."

"Got it", Brian replied. Then he laughed, "Don't think I didn't notice that you're wearing another one of my shirts."

"Baby, this doesn't even fit you anymore", she said easily, looking down at the black and white Put-In Bay t-shirt. "That makes it mine."

"Heads up; it's your turn", Brian said.

Alyssa honked her horn three times, waited a beat, and then pulled up to the gate, "Let me know when you're across too", she murmured as a guard walked up to the car. "Hey, Chris!" she said brightly as he walked around to her side of the car.

The blonde haired man leaned into the car and kissed her cheek, "Causing more trouble?" he said knowingly.

"Who me?" she said innocently, "Never."

"Gimme your license so I can say that I saw it", he laughed, holding a hand out.

"Gotta at least pretend to play by the rules, huh?" she chuckled dropping it into his hand.

"Of course", he agreed lightly, handing it back to her after a cursory glance. "Now, you have a safe trip in the U. S., Miss", he said formally. "Stay out of trouble all by yourself."

Alyssa smirked, "Thanks, I'll do that. Brian's three cars back", she said quietly.

He nodded, "Alright, I'm on it", Chris said, hitting the top of her car with an open palm as he nodded to the gate keeper in the booth. The gate went up and she waved and pulled through. Twenty minutes later, the three of them stopped at a diner for a quick lunch and were off again as soon as they finished.

The drove through the heart of Seattle and finally got to the _Crown Hotel_ and checked in. In the hotel elevator, Brian had simply raised an eyebrow at her and she had laughed and nodded. He hit the PH button that took them to the top floor. She insisted that they order room service for dinner and she was thankful that Brian had stopped Dom from arguing – he still apparently had issues with using her money.

Dom gave her an incredulous look when the elevator opened to what was practically a two-bedroom, split-level condo without a kitchen. And each room had its own bathroom and the medium-sized living room had a fifty-two inch television. "Is this really necessary?" he muttered flatly in her ear.

"Yup", she said vaguely, waiving him off. "Brian? Do you mind?" she asked honestly – thankful that she didn't have to finish the question.

He chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair, "Nah, go ahead", he gestured. "But I'm staying out of it", he muttered.

"No worries", Alyssa snickered. She ruffled his hair, "Thanks, Bri, you're the best. Let's put our stuff away and order dinner. Dom, you can put your stuff in there", she gestured to one of the bedrooms before heading to the opposite, and pulling Brian along behind her.

"What the hell?" Dom grumbled. Alyssa just laughed and dragged Brian into the bedroom and slammed the door behind them.

"Sure, let's piss him off _now_", Brian muttered.

"Wanna take the first shower?" she offered. "I can take mine while you order the food."

"Shower bribery", he complained. "Not fair."

Alyssa snorted, "Nope, just doing myself a favor. Go on", she insisted. "I'll unpack our stuff."

"Okay", Brian agreed. He grabbed a few items from his bag and a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom.

Alyssa dumped all of their things out onto the queen-sized bed into piles and was just hanging up the last of their clothes in the closet when Brian came back. He threw the towel at her that he had been using to scrub at his short hair and it hit the back of her head. "You look like a porcupine", she teased, turning around.

Brian had changed into another t-shirt and khaki board shorts. "Alright, your turn", he said, shooing her away. "And you still have a hickey", he pointed out.

She groaned. "Vince is a moron."

"Can't argue with that", he laughed. "Why the hell did he do that anyway?"

"Probably just to piss me off", she muttered. "He doesn't like it when he's the only one not getting laid. Get whatever you guys want", she said finally. "You know what I like from these places, so just pick something – and don't forget the beer. The mini fridge only has water and those tiny liquor bottles."

"Alright, fine" he chuckled. "Don't take forever."

"Scared of Dom?" she laughed outright, "Chicken".

"_Hey!_" Brian defended. "I'd rather not explain why you're rooming with me – he'll hit _me."_

"Not if you'd learn when to keep your mouth shut", Alyssa said knowingly.

"Bye bye", he insisted. She giggled and grabbed up her stuff and went into the bathroom. Brian grumbled in her general direction and headed back to the living room where Dom was breaking into the mini fridge. "She's taking a shower", Brian explained when Dom looked up. "Breaking out the hard liquor?"

"Got that right", Dom grumbled. "She and I in confined spaces – fucking hell, she's annoying."

Brian laughed at the unexpectedness of that statement. "Ladybug", he said simply. "Musical torture?" he questioned with a smirk.

"More bug than lady - '_I'm not your boyfriend, baby'_, my ass", Dom muttered disgustedly. "What the fuck kind of a song is that?"

"Oh, she didn't", Brian laughed.

"Awful taste in music", he grumbled, nodding as he downed something in a tiny bottle without reading the label. He made a disgusted face, "What the fuck was that?"

Brian glanced at the bottle and snorted, "Peppermint Schnapps", he said with amusement. Then he straightened slightly, knowing full well how his next statement would go over. "She said to call for room service and have them send up beer with dinner. So I'd stop drinking that stuff if I were you – or she _will_ flip her shit. And as a warning: she's already getting twitchy."

Dom said nothing for a full minute, just giving Brian a calculating look. "How many times have you guys done this kind of shit?" he asked finally.

"Too many fucking times", Brian muttered. Then he shook his head and went to the coffee table and grabbed the kitchen menu. "C'mon, man, I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Alyssa was out of the shower and in her pajamas – which Brian had laughed at, saying she was too old for the froggy pants she was wearing with a black halter top – before the food came. And by the time it did, they were all settled in a comfortable silence save for the music playing on the stereo system. Brian went to the door and opened it, letting in the kitchen bellhop with their trays of food. Alyssa groaned and pulled herself reluctantly up from the couch she had sprawled on as soon as Brian had gotten up, and grabbed some cash from her purse and tipped the man, saying thank you, and then he left.

Alyssa peaked under lids as her stomach growled and Brian and Dom joined her quest for their own food. "I never asked", she said to Brian, laughing, "What did you even order for me?"

Brian chuckled, finding his plate with garlic butter fettuccini and shrimp, "Sweet and sour chicken, pot stickers, and spring rolls", he answered.

Alyssa picked up the lid of the biggest hamburger she'd ever seen with a stack of waffle fries and passed it to Dom who put it on the coffee table and grabbed three Coronas and set them there too and sat at one end on the floor. She smirked at Brian, "You want my spring rolls, huh?"

"Just one", he muttered around a mouthful of noodles as he sat on the floor across the table from Dom.

She snickered, "Fine, but I get two of your shrimp – and you _ain't_ touching my pot stickers."

"How do you two even get along?" Dom asked curiously, watching their interactions closely.

"Bargaining, bribery, and threats", Alyssa shrugged.

"You forgot blackmail", Brian said easily. "And we're usually just tolerantly annoyed with each other constantly, so it works fairly well."

"That too", she agreed. Alyssa used one of her chopsticks to spear one of Brian's shrimp and popped it into her mouth, "Yummy", she muttered.

Brian snatched his spring roll from her plate and took a bite, waited a few seconds, and then tapped her. When she looked up, she saw his mouth full of food and grimaced, "Yeah, _that's_ sexy", she muttered dryly.

Brian swallowed over a laugh, "_Yummy_", he teased.

Alyssa smacked his knuckles lightly with her chopstick, "Idiot." She took a drink and then nudged him back, "Nick will be here in the morning", she said quietly.

Brian nodded. He had been expecting that since the last time they had talked. "Is he coming with us?"

She shook her head no, and looked over at Dom. "I asked him to stay here and come after us if we were gone too long without calling."

"I'm guessing you brought the artillery then", Brian stated.

"In my black bag", she said with a nod. "Okay – I'm gonna give you a run-down of tomorrow, because Marco is fairly predictable", she stated.

"What do you mean by predictable?" Dom asked seriously.

Alyssa smirked, "I bet I can give you a play-by-play of your meeting with him", she challenged.

Brian raised an eyebrow, only slightly skeptical, "You sure about that?"

"Well, for starters, Brian", she said, stopping to polish off her chicken and start in on her pot stickers which she dunked happily in Duck Sauce, Alyssa pointed a chopstick at him, "when you first called to meet with him about getting the passports, he told you to meet him here." She looked over for confirmation, and she continued at his nod. "Fifth floor, room twenty-three – and he told you to wear a suit."

"How the hell-"

Alyssa snickered, "I don't know how or why, Brian, but he owns the fifth floor for some reason. _That_ room stays empty for all times except for when he uses it."

"Fuck", Brian muttered.

She shook her head, "I'll assume the meeting was after one o'clock, and he told you to wear a suit. And then when he opened the door and saw you, he had a less than pleasant look on his face – because you definitely aren't a suit type of person", Alyssa grinned and went for her other shrimp in his bowl.

Brian grimaced, "Something like that."

"And then after all the requirements were figured out and you signed the papers, he-" Alyssa stopped. "He- you- Christ Almighty, Brian, I am going to kill you", she said tightly.

"What's going on?" Dom demanded after a minute of them glaring at each other.

"You _idiot_", she continued, ignoring Dom. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have given you an idea about pricing beforehand if you would have called me. He _knows_. He's known for two years, Brian – maybe longer. Are you aware of how fucked I am right now?"

"Explain, _now_", Dominic ordered.

Alyssa growled irritatedly before looking over at him. "Marco makes everyone pay half up front before he'll even do anything. Which means he charged you more than three times his normal pricing."

"What does the fact that he screwed us over have to do with you?" Dom asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"That he knows that I know you guys", she answered flatly, leaving out all the details, "And he expected I would get involved at some point. He's got his leverage, Brian", she sighed. "Nick was right; I don't have the option of saying no this time." She stood up silently and stacked her plates back on the trolley, and finished her Corona. "I'm going to bed", Alyssa said finally. "Don't stay up too late. We'll leave here by ten." She stopped outside the bedroom door and turned around. "Brian", she called softly, a thoughtful look on her face. She waited until he looked over at her, his face tense. "It would have happened eventually – it's really not your fault. I made a deal with the devil long before you did; it's okay." Then she grinned, "I'm not banning you to the couch. Night, guys." Then she was gone, the door closing behind her.

00

**A/N: Thanks for reading! The next chapter is already finished and will be posted soon. Review, review, review! (I love picking songs to annoy Dom with!)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Blurred Lines: The Fast and the Furious Remake**

**Rated: M (mostly for language and bothersome situations – although I promise it won't be too intense.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N: Well, I had the next chapter done and was going to post last week, but my flash-drive broke and the only way to get my info off of it is to send it to the recovery center – I am not happy. So I will probably end up doing that, and while I'm waiting for it I will add in some flashbacks that I've been working on that are saved on my laptop. Sorry for the wait – and technological difficulties that postponed everything.**

_**Chapter 25 **_

_Alyssa was sitting on the couch occupying herself with crappy television when the front door slammed. She was slightly annoyed – he was an hour and a half late and hadn't called. She couldn't see him in the kitchen from the living room and called, "Nice of you to show up-"._

_She stopped, blood draining from her face as his frame appeared in the doorway. She clicked off the T.V. Alyssa was fairly certain that the stains on his shirt were from blood. A quick once-over of him had her assuming that he wasn't hurt… and she was more than a little terrified._

_She stood up slowly. "What happened?" she hissed. "Dom, what did you do?"_

_He hadn't spoken yet, but his demeanor gave her a warning. The suppressed rage he had been fighting to keep under wraps for the past six months after his father's death was no longer in his control. She could see him wearing it like a second skin. And she suddenly wished Vince was home or that Aunt Rita was there – or anyone but Mia at that point. His eyes locked on hers and she fought the urge to wince. Cold, hard eyes, expressionless face – she didn't know this man. "Dominic, what did you do?" she demanded again._

"_About an hour ago Kenny Linder came into the garage", he said finally, voice hard as gravel. "He was just rushed to the E.R. I beat him with a torque wrench", he said flatly._

_Alyssa just stared at him silently in shock. This was not something they taught you how to deal with in high school. She took a deep breath, bracing herself, before walking towards him cautiously. "Come on", she said quietly, stopping in front of him, but not touching. "Let's go take a shower."_

_The look on his face was completely devoid of emotion, but she turned slowly and was more than slightly surprised that he followed her. Alyssa was fairly certain that the adrenaline he had been running on earlier was near a crashing point and that he wouldn't take issue with her making decisions for the time being. They went upstairs and he followed her into the bathroom silently. The knot forming in her stomach tightened as she wondered if it was really possible that he had beaten a man so badly with a _wrench_ that the man was in the hospital. She forced thoughts of jail time, assault, and police out of her mind as she locked them in and rid him of just his shirt and then pushed him into the shower. Fighting back tears of anger and frustration, she stepped in behind him in her full outfit – never mind that wet jeans were a pain in the ass to get off._

_They stood silently under the hot spray of water and she just stepped forward into his space enough to lean her head against his chest. She couldn't believe this was happening. Alyssa had thought that after their big blow out a few months ago things were finally looking up. Now they were drowning again._

_00_

_After she got them both back into their bathroom – and took ten minutes to pry her jeans off – Dom had just thrown his clothes into the garbage without a word. She insisted that he stay put while she called Letty. Thank god it was only three o'clock. It didn't really take much convincing for her to get Letty to agree to have Mia spend the night, and she asked that Letty come pick up a few things before going by to see Mia at the store._

_When Letty showed up fifteen minutes later, Alyssa was sitting on the porch with a duffle bag. Alyssa knew as soon as Letty stopped in front of her, that she had just assumed that since Vince was gone for the day, Alyssa and Dom wanted some privacy – at least until she saw Alyssa's face. "Dammit, girl, what did he do?" Letty demanded seriously. "I'll go kick his ass."_

"_It's worse than that" Alyssa said tonelessly, looking away. "He fucked up", she stated hollowly, burying her face in her hands. She glanced up at Letty helplessly. "I don't know what we're going to do."_

_Letty was staring at her critically. "Did he knock you up?"_

_Alyssa snorted, "I'm not pregnant – no one's pregnant Letty. I wish it was just that simple – I could deal with that." Alyssa grabbed the bag next to her as she stood up and Letty followed her to the car. She threw the bag onto the passenger seat and they both leaned against the side of the car. "You can't tell Mia", Alyssa said pleadingly. "Not until I can figure something out – just until tomorrow night, please don't let her come back here."_

_Letty nodded warily. "You're really starting to scare me", she said quietly._

_Alyssa just nodded tersely. "He's going to go to prison, Let", she whispered hoarsely. "He told me that he beat Kenny Linder with a torque wrench. I have to talk to him – I need to know what the fuck happened. And I need to find a good lawyer."_

"_You're serious, aren't you?" Letty questioned finally, voice strangled from shock._

"_I wish I wasn't", Alyssa whispered._

"_Fuck – Mia… she's gonna lose it", Letty muttered. "Things were bad enough already."_

"_Of all days for Vince to be gone", Alyssa whined, running a hand through her hair exasperatedly. "This is so out of my league. I have to get a hold of Aunt Rita…"_

"_I'll keep Mia away until you call me", Letty said quietly. "You know she's gonna be pissed at you for not telling her immediately though", she reminded._

_Alyssa just nodded once. "Thank you- I'm just…" Alyssa choked. "I'm losing it here, Let. Vince needs a fucking cell phone", she snapped. "I don't know what to do. It's completely selfish, but we're all so completely beyond screwed right now", she muttered. "Thanks, Let, you're a fucking lifesaver right now. I just need some facts before Mia freaks out and no one else gets a word in edgewise."_

"'_Lyss… the cops? What-"_

_Alyssa grimaced, "I don't know. That's what I have to find out."_

_Letty sighed, "Okay, girl, I got you. If you need anything give me a call, alright?"_

"_Just, umm – if Vince calls you for some reason, tell him to get his ass back here", Alyssa muttered tiredly._

"_What time's he supposed to be back?" Letty questioned._

"_After midnight", Alyssa groaned. "He probably won't be back until after two knowing him – I know I won't get any sleep tonight. Thank god tomorrow is Sunday and we don't have to open the shop or garage – not that we could, but at least it will look normal."_

_Letty just raised an eyebrow. "You realize that your illusion of normal will probably be shattered before tomorrow is even __**over**__, right?" she warned._

"_Yeah, thanks for ruining my last shred of hope, by the way", Alyssa stated sarcastically._

"_Sometimes reality checks are necessary", Letty said pointedly._

"_I'm pretty well tuned in with the fates, Letty", Alyssa rolled her eyes. "They don't like me."_

"_Well, I guess I'll start blaming all our bad karma on you then?" she asked with a shrug._

"_Not all of it", Alyssa rebuffed, "just unusual, natural disasters."_

"_So, hurricanes in L.A.?" Letty snickered._

"_My fault", Alyssa agreed blandly. "Now go bother Mia, would you? I've got the other one to deal with. God only knows what he's doing up there."_

_Letty gave her a pensive look. "Everything's going to change isn't it?" she murmured quietly._

"_I don't see how it couldn't" Alyssa shook her head. "I'd love to have the right to ignore this... Never I my wildest nightmares did I even prepare for this."_

"_None of us did – we're in this together, no matter what happens." Letty reached over and gave her a hug. "You aren't Super Woman, okay? We're family."_

_Alyssa bit her lip, "Do you want to-"_

_Letty shook her head, "No, hun, I think you were right the first time. I'll occupy Mia."_

"_Stupid, bull-headed, never listens to logical advice-" Alyssa muttered angrily. "Could we have stopped this?"_

"_You know Dom… he doesn't think when he's pissed", Letty said quietly._

"_So we should have seen this coming", Alyssa restated flatly._

"_I didn't say that", Letty said, keeping her low tone._

_Alyssa straightened up, stepping away from the car, "I'd better go into the war zone", she said reluctantly._

"_Alright, I'll get out of here", Letty said walking around to the driver's side._

"_I don't want to go back in there", Alyssa murmured shaking her head. "Thanks, Letty. I'll call you early in the afternoon." Alyssa waved back as Letty pulled out of the driveway and waited until she was out of sight before trudging up the porch and towards the kitchen phone. She dialed the number and listened to it ring forever before the machine picked up._

_Alyssa swore under her breath and left a hurried message. "Aunt Rita, whatever you're doing this late at night that you aren't home had better be super important", she murmured. "Call back or just come over as soon as you get this – it's an emergency." Then she hung up and made her way upstairs to the bedroom._

_When she opened the door and stepped into the room, her shoulders dropped slightly. He hadn't moved in twenty minutes. She pushed the door shut silently and leaned against it and closed her eyes. "I need you to tell me what happened today", she said slowly. "I don't care how bad it is…. Don't censor it. I just need to know."_

_00_

_Three hours later, Dominic was asleep, and Rita was nowhere to be found, Alyssa crept out of the room, cell phone in hand. She walked downstairs and settled on the steps of the front porch to make a quick call and wait for Vince to get home._

_She dialed a familiar number on her phone and listened to it ring. "Ali, it's after midnight", he grumbled finally._

"_Nick, I need a lawyer – a damn good one", she said hoarsely._

"_What happened?" he demanded, waking up._

"_Not for me. Just, can u get me a number please?" she pleaded._

_She heard him sigh, "Alright kid. But you'd better explain things to me later. Give me a few minutes to find it, okay?"_

"_Thanks", she murmured. "Can you just call back and leave me the number on my voicemail so I can write it down later? I don't really want to talk to anyone right now."_

"_We'll talk later then", he said. She hung up. And five minutes later when he called back she let him leave the message._

_She sat outside for another hour and half, not really paying attention to the time, when the gravity of the situation finally made its way through the temporary wall she had put up. She was throwing up in the bushes when headlights approached the driveway and Vince pulled in._

_The car engine was still on when she felt him holding her hair back. "Come on, let's get you back inside", he muttered. "Where's Dom?"_

"_No", she said hoarsely, before Vince could direct her back to the porch. Alyssa coughed twice and stood up, "First, go turn your car off, moron", she grumbled, pushing him away._

"_Have you been crying?" Vince asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her. They widened comically, and had it been any other time, she would have laughed in his face. "Are you pregnant?" he demanded roughly._

"_No, Goddammit, Vince", Alyssa growled, swatting his hands off her arms. "Car, now", she stated flatly. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."_

"_Stay put", he warned unnecessarily before jogging to his car, turning the key, pocketing it and coming back to where she was sitting back on the porch steps with her head in her hands, elbows on her knees. He walked up to the top step silently and sat down behind her, pulling her against his chest and crossed his arms in front of her, locking her in place. "You're not gonna make me chase you down tonight?" he asked curiously. "Not that I want you too – I'm too fucking tired", he added._

_She just shook her head, turning slightly to rest the side of her face against his chest before she started shaking. "Vince-"_

_He groaned and ran a hand through her hair soothingly, "What's wrong, baby doll?" he asked quietly. Dominic had been her rock since the first day they had met, but Vince… he was her brother. And he had always protected her from the injustices of living in the world of Dom. And now that she was in his arms, she could finally let herself crumble. He shook her lightly when he thought she was going to start hyperventilating. "Alyssa, where is Dom?"_

_Through her haze of emotional turmoil, she somehow recognized the edge to his voice that she knew she'd better get rid of it quickly. The last time he had growled at her like that when he wasn't mad at _her_, had been three months ago when she had caught Dominic in bed with Johnny Tran's sister and they had had a screaming match. She had left and went to Letty's for the weekend. Vince had cornered her after Dom had talked her into coming back home, saying if Dom ever so much laid a hand on her, he would kick his ass._

_Alyssa had laughed for twenty minutes at the mere thought of Dominic physically hurting her. Granted, during an argument, they both knew the buttons to push for an effective verbal attack, but he never would have hit her – or any girl for that matter._

_She attempted to pull back slightly to see his face – instead of looking at his jaw – but he didn't let her. She huffed at him in irritation. "He's upstairs asleep", Alyssa muttered roughly._

"_And you're down here crying why?" he said pointedly, looking down to study her face._

_Alyssa gnawed on her bottom lip nervously. He was going to shit a brick. "I tell you now and you don't say a word about it until morning", she said seriously. "I mean it – he'd probably welcome you killing him right now, but everything is going to blow up tomorrow and I need you to keep your shit together so I can try to take care of some of this without babysitting you."_

"_I'm going to assume you have a good reason for acting like a bitch right now and not go near that last part", he said warningly. "What the fuck happened today?"_

"_Linder went to the shop today", she said in a nearly inaudible whisper. "Dom lost it. He hit him with a wrench until he was unconscious. I guess someone called an ambulance and he was rushed to the hospital. I don't know if he's alive."_

_It took nearly twenty seconds before Vince found what he deemed an appropriate response to the situation at hand. He was up from his spot behind her faster than she could stop him and headed out to the middle of the front yard. He punched the oak tree. "Motherfucker!" he shouted angrily._

_Alyssa was sprinting across the yard after him after recovering from the shock of his quick action and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She was under no illusions that she could match his strength if he didn't want to listen to her, but she didn't want to drive him to the hospital for a broken hand. "Jesus Christ, Vince, stop", she murmured harshly, resting her forehead against his shoulder blade._

_She felt the tremors of rage radiating off of him and didn't dare move. A few minutes later, only slightly calmer than previously, he spoke. "Where is Mia?" Vince asked in a measured tone._

"_At Letty's until I call over there tomorrow", Alyssa said quietly. "I called Aunt Rita, but she never called back."_

_He pulled out of her grip slowly, and she let him go. A few seconds later, he turned to look at her. "Worst case scenario?" he asked finally._

"_Dom pleads guilty – which he will – and he goes to jail. I'm not sure how long for", she said softly. "I'm calling a lawyer in the morning."_

"_You think he'll plead guilty?" Vince asked looking at her incredulously._

_Alyssa raised her eyebrows, "He did it, Vince. The man deserved a punch in the face at the very least – but I draw the line at a coma, brain damage, or death", she said exasperatedly. "I did actually _talk_ to him earlier. He told me he would turn himself in."_

_Vince was momentarily speechless, and he scrubbed a hand over his face. "Dammit", he muttered. "How long have you been here alone with him?"_

"_Vince, give me a break-" she started. She slapped at his hand again when he pulled at her shirt looking for nonexistent bruises. "Stop it!" she finally snapped angrily. "You're being irrational."_

"_How long has this shit been going on today?" he demanded._

"_Seven hours, give or take", Alyssa muttered, shrugging and raking a hand through her hair. "Why?"_

"_You look like hell", he said with what Alyssa had called his 'angry eyebrows' look._

"_I'm sorry, you're right", she snarled. "I should have taken a timeout in the middle of all the insanity to pretty myself up just for you."_

_He just sighed and tugged her against him gently, wrapping her in a bone-crushing hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier", he murmured quietly._

_Her hands fisted his shirt against his chest. "I don't care what you say", she muttered, "I'm buying you a beeper." She felt him stifle a laugh before he picked her up bridal-style and headed back up the yard towards the house. "Vince, your hand-" she protested._

"_S'okay – needs ice", he said gruffly._

_Alyssa whined. "Don't make me pop something back into its socket", she pleaded. "It was bad enough watching you do it to Dom when he popped his knee three months ago."_

_He set her down when they got to the porch and she picked up her cell phone and stuffed it into her pocket as they went into the house and she followed him into the kitchen. And she watched as he got out an ice pack and set it on his bruised hand. "It's just a finger", he said giving her a look of amusement that she found completely inappropriate at the moment._

"_Good, let's just chop the damn thing off then", she snapped sarcastically. "It's only your right hand – you don't use that much, do you?" she asked insinuatingly._

"_No thanks", he said grimacing. "Give the ice a few minutes and then you can do it."_

"_I don't want to", she complained._

"_Alyssa, it's just like every other shit thing you hate that you do anyways – just suck it up and do it", he growled._

"_Okay, okay", she said apologetically, "Sorry – but you know this shit freaks me out."_

"_Don't worry – you won't feel a thing", he grumbled._

_Alyssa went to the cupboard and pulled out the generic pain pills and went to get a water bottle from the fridge. She set in and a few pills on the table in front of Vince and he gave her a dirty look. She giggled, "Drink the water. Beer and aspirin don't mix. Beer does _not_ mix with everything, despite what you and Dom think."_

_He glared at her but motioned for her to open it and he took the pills. "Cruel and unusual punishment", he muttered half-heartedly._

_She patted his shoulder sympathetically as she got up again, "That thing cold enough still?" she asked as she dug through the freezer for her secret stash of chocolate ice cream that she hid in the back to keep it away from Mia._

"_It's fine", Vince answered quietly._

_She grabbed the carton and a spoon and pulled a chair right next to him, "Share?" she asked raising an eyebrow._

"_Gimme some of that", he demanded nodding, reaching for the spoon teasingly with his good hand._

_She wielded her spoon like a weapon, threatening to hit him with it. "Share, not steal", she replied pointedly, digging in and getting a giant chunk. She stuck the whole thing in her mouth and made a face at the cold before taking the spoon out of her mouth, leaving half the ice cream still on it. Somehow, two seconds later, it ended up in Vince's mouth. "Eww!" she garbled around her mouthful, trying not to laugh._

"_What?" he asked carelessly after he swallowed._

"_That was just in my mouth!" she said incredulously._

"_I've also take gum out of your mouth with my tongue on a dare", he reminded with a smirk._

_Alyssa shuddered, "Right – that was worse."_

_He snickered at the look of disgust on her face. "So, what's with the ice cream therapy?" he asked seriously. Her ice cream may have been a secret from Mia, but the guys knew what she did to feel better when she was really upset._

_She gave him an 'are you kidding me?' look. "Dom's going to prison. You just punched a fucking _tree_. And I am fucking traumatized!" She hit his thigh angrily. "Don't _even_ ask me why I'm upset." He sighed and tucked her under his arm. She laid her head on his shoulder. "You hit a goddamn tree with your fist", she scolded. "You're such a moron."_

"_Sorry", he chuckled. He kissed her forehead, "I'm sorry", he repeated seriously. "We're gonna be okay, I promise."_

_Alyssa sighed and shook her head before sitting up straight. "Let me see your hand", she softly reaching to take off the ice pack carefully. "Dammit", she hissed under her breath. Then she took a deep breath and steeled herself. She was resigned when she finally looked up. "Tell me what to do."_

_00_

_Twenty minutes later, they were still sitting in the kitchen, now in a tense silence. "Just tell me whether it's broken or not", Alyssa muttered finally. _She _was still nauseous from the popping noise._

"_I think it's fine", Vince said with gritted teeth._

"_Maybe we should take you to the hospital", she suggested, peeking under the second ice pack._

_He growled at her. He _hated_ hospitals. "It's fine", he repeated after a few minutes. "It's not broken – it just hurts like hell."_

_Alyssa went to the bathroom and came back a minute later with the first aid kit. She opened it and found the metal finger splint. She handed it to him, "Put it on so I can tape it", she said quietly. "I'd rather not hurt you."_

_He rolled his eyes but took it and put it on slowly making sure it was straight. She pulled his hand back towards her, fingers lightly gripping his wrist and she started in on the medical tape. "We finish this and then we both get a beer and go to bed, got it?" he said seriously._

_She gave him a skeptical look. "There's no way in hell that I'm going to get any sleep tonight."_

"_You're coming downstairs with me – yes, you are", he argued when she opened her mouth to disagree. "I'm not going to let you stay up here alone freaking out until morning."_

"_Sometimes you know me too well", she murmured unhappily as she finished and put the tape back in the box._

"_Good thing for you, too, huh, Shrinky Dink?" he teased._

"_Vince!" she groaned. "Don't call me that. I did not _shrink_ – you just got fatter."_

_He just laughed and went to the refrigerator and pulled out two Coronas and handed one to her. "This is all muscle, sweetheart. Come on. Trouble will still be here in the morning."_

"_Fine", she said, pretending to be annoyed. "But I get to cuddle."_

"_Let's go, cuddle bunny", he snickered._

"_I'll do you a favor and chalk your current cutesiness up to the pain", she said grinning up at him as he wrapped an arm around her waist and proceeded down the basement stairs._

"_Come 'ere so I can bite your nose", he said seriously. _

_She covered her nose with her hand, "No", she whined. "I like my nose the way it is, thank you very much." Alyssa went into his dresser and stole a shirt. She went into his closet to change while he laughed at her. She came out and flopped down on his bed and shuffled to the other side, picking up her bottle from the desk on the way. "Come on, let's drink and go to sleep." _

"_Don't hog the bed", he grumbled as he lay down next to her, propping himself up on his elbow and taking a drink._

_She turned onto her side, mirroring his position, facing him. "Don't snore", she countered, raising an eyebrow at him._

"_If he's gone… what the hell are we gonna do?" Vince muttered finally. "You and Mia are under eighteen."_

_Alyssa sighed, looking across the room. "I didn't forget about that", she said softly. "Mia can stay with Aunt Rita at least if she can't stay here."_

"_And you? What are you gonna do? Go to Washington and stay with your brother?" he said disgustedly._

_She made a face, "If I had to", she murmured. "But I'll be eighteen in three and a half months… so they might let it go. My parents never made John my legal guardian though – even though he's next of kin… And I don't think the court system will make time to search for my _parents_, since they aren't even in the country. And I haven't seen them in nearly four years. But I've been on my own for most of my life, and I think if John had a say, he would let me stay here – finish my last year in the same place, blah, blah, blah."_

_Vince just groaned, rubbing at his forehead. "Tomorrow is going to suck ass."_

"_Personally, I'm hoping this is just an awful nightmare", Alyssa said under her breath as she settled in, using his shoulder as a pillow._


End file.
